HR0999 98TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0999 LRB098 20890 GRL 58474 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The State of Illinois takes great pride in celebrating the artistic talents and historic accomplishments of its diverse citizenry, representing communities large and small; and

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives wish to raise their collective baton in recognition of the 130th anniversary of the Woodstock City Band; and

WHEREAS, The Woodstock City Band, funded and supported by the City of Woodstock and the Woodstock Opera House, is widely respected as one of the oldest city bands in the United States; and

WHEREAS, The Woodstock City Band has enjoyed several identities, forming in 1884 under the leadership of Frank W. Medlar as the Woodstock Spring City Band; for many years, the band was known as the Oliver Typewriter Band, featuring employees of the renowned Oliver Typewriter Company; and

WHEREAS, The Woodstock City Band is led by Conductor Duane Peiffer, who has also masterfully taught and directed music students in Woodstock Community Unit School District 200 since 1992; and

WHEREAS, The Woodstock City Band is comprised of a group of outstanding musicians, who perform free weekly summer concerts on the historic Woodstock Square, delighting audiences that often number over 800 local seniors, families, children, and devoted music lovers each week; and

WHEREAS, The Woodstock City Band showcases the exceptional talent of many graduates of local music education programs and their instructors, with performers' ages ranging from high school students to octogenarians and some touting decades of Woodstock City Band membership; and

WHEREAS, The repertoire of the Woodstock City Band consists of canonical works, adaptations of popular favorites, and original compositions; the most recent work was commissioned specifically in honor of the band's 130th anniversary; and

WHEREAS, Woodstock City Band performances and their accompanying "ice cream socials" are events that have established a long tradition of old-fashioned, quintessentially Midwestern, summertime community gatherings on the Woodstock Square, bringing families and neighbors together and welcoming and entertaining visitors from throughout McHenry County; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-EIGHTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we congratulate the members of the Woodstock City Band on the occasion of its 130th anniversary and thank them for their dedication to the City of Woodstock and its residents; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to the Woodstock City Band as a symbol of our esteem and respect.