St. Johnsbury Band
182nd Season Opening Concert
Former Governor Jim Douglas was the Special Guest Conductor for the opening concert for the 182nd summer season for the St. Johnsbury Band on Monday evening, June 18, 2012.
Gov. Douglas is a musician having played trumpet for the Middlebury Town Band. He has also had previous stints as a guest conductor for the 40th Army Band and the Green Mountain Brass Band.
Representatives Gary Reis (R) and Robert South (D) were the "celebrity scoopers" at the free ice cream social during the concert.
"This opens our summer concert series at the bandstand and we are honored that Gov. Douglas will be conducting and St. Johnsbury's representatives will volunteer as our ice cream scoopers" said Dave Hare, Band Manager. "He had us work on a Louis Armstrong piece and he is very easy to work with. He joked that as the Band Conductor, he has veto power".
Governor Jim Douglas conducting the band
The St. Johnsbury has been entertaining the community since 1830 and has also played engagements in New York, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts.
Teddy Roosevelt Concert
On August 31, 2012, the St. Johnsbury Band took part in an event in Barre, VT commemorating the 100th anniversary of Theodore Roosevelt's visit to Vermont. In 1912, thousands of people turned out for his visit and to hear him speak. Dubbed "One Huge Mass of People", the Vermont Historical Society planned this event to reenact Roosevelt's 1912 campaign visit to Barre.
Although the crowds weren't quite as large in 2012, they were very enthusiastic. Actor John Alexander portrayed Roosevelt at the event and gave Roosevelt's 1912 speech to the crowd.
The St. Johnsbury Band then provided music from that era. This included a stirring march titled "Uncle Teddy" written by Julius Fučík. The music was accompanied by free ice cream.
Here is a picture from the original event and pictures from the 2012 reenactment.
President Teddy Roosevelt in Barre, VT
Reenactment of Teddy Roosevelt speech
Audience members at the reenactment concert of Teddy Roosevelt's 1912 visit to Barre, VT
President Teddy Roosevelt in Barre, VT