HR1310 98TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR1310 LRB098 23157 GRL 62150 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, For 160 years, the DeKalb Municipal Band has entertained the DeKalb community; the band holds the distinction of being the oldest continuous playing band in Illinois; and

WHEREAS, A group of musicians returning from the California gold fields in 1854 formed the DeKalb Silver Comet Band; and

WHEREAS, During the Civil War, many of the Band's musicians joined the military, but when they returned to DeKalb, they resumed the Band under the leadership of David and Daniel McCosh; and

WHEREAS, In 1903, the Band accepted an invitation to become the band of the Third Regiment of the Illinois National Guard, a post the Band held until 1917; during this period, C.F. Toenniges served as director as the Band performed at Huntley Park and occasionally at Liberty Park and Unity Park; and

WHEREAS, In the "Roaring Twenties", C.H. Palmer, manager of the Band, kept the Band from bankruptcy by raising money to support the band through fundraisers and contributions from local businesses; and

WHEREAS, In 1925, C.H. Palmer took the initiative to lobby the General Assembly to create a municipal band tax, which passed into law in 1926; DeKalb became the first community to take advantage of the taxing authority; and

WHEREAS, During the 1930s, Hopkins Park was built in DeKalb with the help of the Works Projects Administration and the band moved its weekly concerts from neighborhood parks to Hopkins Park, where it remains today; and

WHEREAS, In 1948, Dee Palmer, son of C.H. Palmer, assumed the directorship of the Band and held regular Tuesday evening concerts from June through mid-August; Dee served as director for 63 years; in appreciation of his service, the band shell was renamed the Dee Palmer Band Shell in the 1980s and a bronze statue of him directing the band was erected in 2010; and

WHEREAS, The DeKalb Municipal Band consists of 60 local residents, school teachers, college music majors, former members of United States Military Bands, and several professional musicians; the Band has been under the leadership of only 4 directors from the community, 3 of them from the Palmer family and the current Director, Kirk Lundbeck, who has been a member of the Band for 35 years; and

WHEREAS, The DeKalb Municipal Band has created a reason for the people of DeKalb to gather to enjoy each other's company, the summer evenings, and the joyous sounds of the band; and

WHEREAS, The DeKalb Municipal Band plans to present a gala holiday concert on December 13, 2014 in honor of its 160th season and the continuous support of the DeKalb community; 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 DeKalb Municipal Band on their long standing tradition of entertainment and the Band's status as the oldest continuous playing band in the State of Illinois; and be it further

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