St. Johnsbury Band
Annual Meeting - 2022
The St. Johnsbury Band met for its 192nd annual meeting on Saturday, Oct. 29, at the York Street Meeting House in Lyndon Corner. The Band traditionally meets each fall, to elect a board of trustees, elect officers and fill other positions in the Band. Plans are also proposed for the next year.
The meeting always includes a meal, as a way to recognize the commitment of band members who show up every week for the Monday evening concerts in Court House Park as well as out-of-town events during the summer. The Band accepts concert and parade invitations from other towns, from which the Band earns the funds needed, beyond the appropriation from the Town of St. Johnsbury, to pay its bills. One of the Band’s major expenses is new music. While the music library is extensive, stretching back to pieces purchased in the 1920s and earlier, audiences often prefer to hear tunes with which they are familiar, from popular music to film scores and show tunes.
This year’s dinner was pot luck, highlighted by candlelight in the recently renovated York Street Meeting House. Nearly 40 were in attendance.
This year’s election returned veteran musical conductor Gary Aubin as director and Kirsten Harter as assistance director. Jim McGregor remains the music librarian, responsible for maintaining the music library and making sure all the players have the music they need.
Cheryl Gove will serve as treasurer, Randa Jacobs is secretary, Sue Gallagher handles publicity and Jean Ashley deals with band uniforms. Dave Askren is the Band’s webmaster. He will soon launch the Band’s new website, at stjohnsburyband.org.
Business manager Dave Hare was returned to his position amid a standing ovation from those at the meeting. His is a big job, one that makes the Band a success by recruiting new members and keeping the Band solvent, among other important tasks. Rusty Speicher will serve as assistant manager and has taken on the task of planning next year’s annual meeting. This year, a number of members were unable to attend, and it is hoped that plans made early in the season will help avoid that in the future. Officers unable to attend this year were librarian Jim McGregor, treasurer Cheryl Gove, assistant conductor Kirsten Harter and uniform chair Jean Ashley.
Serving on this year’s three-person rotating Board of Directors will be Carol Stevens (three years), Paul Tidyman (two years) and Jim Sanders (one year). Paul Tidyman also serves as the Band’s Facebook manager.
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Next on the Band’s program is the Veterans Day Concert, which will take place on Nov. 11 at the United Community Church for the benefit of the St. Johnsbury History & Heritage Center. This concert will begin at 6:30 p.m. The Band’s final event of the year will be the Holiday Concert, scheduled for the afternoon of Sunday, Nov. 27, at 3 p.m. also at United Community Church. After the Holiday
Concert, the Band is on hiatus until the middle of January, when rehearsals resume for the summer 2023 season.
For more information or to learn about joining the Band, contact us at the email address shown below. The Band is the perfect place to renew music skills and enjoy playing with a convivial group.
Dave Hare carving the turkey for dinner
Dave Hare leading the business portion of the meeting