By 1812Blockhouse
This year we’re continuing our weekly look at unique events and attractions that are within an easy driving distance of Richland County. We call these “Summer Road Trips.” Of course, we regularly feature the many extraordinary places to visit right here in Richland County and encourage our readers to get out and experience what is on offer in our own backyard.
This featured road trip is just about as close as you can possibly get, as the city of Galion actually extends into the southwest part of Richland County. It is also a rare opportunity to attend an old fashioned community band concert in this part of Ohio, one that showcases talent known to Richland County audiences.
The Galion Community Band has planned some entertainment for the Labor Day weekend.
The final summer concert of the band will be Saturday, September 5 at 6:00 PM at the First United Church of Christ Pavilion in Uptowne Galion. The concert is being held to meet the social distancing requirements due to the pandemic.
The concert will feature two outstanding local musicians playing solos with band. Douglas Harvey will perform the Arthur Pryor trombone work “Blue Bells of Scotland”, and Lew Friend will perform Herbert Clark’s trumpet work “Carnival of Venice”.
Harvey is a recent Galion graduate who will be attending Capital University with a major in jazz studies. He has taken lessons from Jim Masters, Damian Boyd, and Ryan Hamilton. Douglas has performed with the Columbus Youth Jazz Program, the Mid Ohio Youth Jazz Orchestra, and the Richland Academy Big Band.
Lew Friend is a Galion graduate and a graduate of Ashland University. He is currently the band director at St. Peter’s in Mansfield, Ohio. Lew is also a graduate of the Army Element School of Music and played with many army bands including the 74th, the 26th, the 24th and the 98th Infantry. He plays locally with the Ribtickler’s, the Mid-Ohio Community Band, the New Washington Community Band and the Union Jazz Ensemble.
The concert Saturday is part of a concert series arranged by Preserving Galion, Inc. and the Galion Alumni Band. A free will donation will be taken with proceeds going to these two organizations.
The First United Church of Christ is located at 248 Harding Way West in Galion, just a half block west of Wendy’s.
The Galion Community Band is under the direction of Brian Treisch.
