The Galion Community Band will bring its 50th anniversary season to a close Sunday with an afternoon of marches, movie music, folk melodies, and other familiar sounds. The band’s final concert of the summer will begin at 2:00 PM on Sunday, August 9, at the pavilion of First United Church of Christ, 248 Harding Way West in Galion. The outdoor concert is free, with free-will donations welcomed. Those attending are encouraged to bring lawn chairs.
This summer marks a milestone for an ensemble that has become a familiar part of Galion’s musical life.
The Galion Community Band was organized in 1976 by Tom Bowman as part of the nation’s Bicentennial celebration. What began as a Bicentennial project became a lasting tradition, with the band performing nearly every year in the five decades since. Its musicians come from Galion and surrounding communities, with ages ranging from high school students to retirees. The 2026 band is led by Brian Treisch, Ashley Ousley, and Wyatt Estep.
From Sousa to the Yellow Brick Road
Sunday’s program will move through several different musical styles, from traditional American marches to Latin rhythms, lyrical works, and music inspired by one of Hollywood’s most enduring films. The concert will include “The Star-Spangled Banner,” arranged by W. Damrosch and John Philip Sousa, along with two Sousa marches, “El Capitan” and “The Washington Post.”
Also on the program is Eric Whitacre’s “Lux Aurumque,” Zequinha de Abreu’s lively “Tico-Tico,” and “An Overture on Themes from The Wizard of Oz,” featuring music by Harold Arlen and E.Y. Harburg in an arrangement by James Barnes.
The band will also perform the traditional American folk song “Shenandoah,” arranged by Dean Sorenson; Karl L. King’s “The Walking Frog,” arranged by Robert Foster; and “The Water Is Wide,” arranged by James D. Ployhar.
Together, the selections offer a fitting finale for a season celebrating both the band’s history and the range of music it has brought to local audiences over the years.
A Community Tradition
The anniversary season has been supported by organizations, businesses, schools, churches, and individuals throughout the area. Major support for the concert comes from Galion Elks BPOE 1191, the Northmor Music Boosters, William and Marilyn Stepro, Metronome Music, and VFW Post 1979. Additional support has come from Brian and Brenda Treisch, Galion City Schools, the Galion Tiger Alumni Band, Grace Point Church, and First United Church of Galion.
After half a century, Sunday’s concert offers another opportunity for Galion residents to gather outdoors, unfold a lawn chair, and hear a community tradition that began during America’s Bicentennial summer and has continued ever since.
Below you can watch and listen to the Galion Community Band performing at the bandshell in Heise Park in July, 2011.