Fairfield Municipal Band announces summer concert series

FAIRFIELD — The Fairfield Municipal Band will begin its summer series of concerts on the Ron Prill Bandstand in Central Park at 8 p.m. on Tuesday, June 21.

The five other concerts will be held on all Tuesdays, June 28, July 12, July 19, July 26 and Aug. 2. There is not a concert on Tuesday, July 5 due to the Independence Day holiday. All concerts will be in Central Park and begin at 8 p.m.

The Fairfield Municipal Band is sponsored by the Fairfield Parks and Recreation Department, and is made up of instrumentalists from Fairfield and surrounding communities. Although the majority of the band is made up of adults, the group also has many high school and college students who play. The community group ranges from 15-year-olds to quite a few septuagenarians.

The band performs a variety of music, from traditional concert marches and military songs to modern arrangements of current Broadway, movie, and popular hits.

Conductor Jim Edgeton remains at the helm of the Fairfield Municipal Band. Edgeton retired from his day job as band director at Fairfield High School in 2021, but he’s glad he’s still active in bringing live music to the community.

“It’s something I still enjoy doing, and I haven’t aged out of it yet,” he said. “For a lot of musicians, this is our hobby, and it’s still a great hobby for me. It gives me the musical outlet I need.”

The municipal band did not perform a concert series in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. It returned last year, with a few modifications, such as having the band members spread out on the ground around the Ron Prill Bandstand instead of inside it like they normally are. Edgeton said this was to accommodate COVID safety precautions. He said the band members will be back in the bandstand this year.

Call Andy Hallman at 641-575-0135 or email him at andy.hallman@southeastiowaunion.com