The 100 Mile Community Band is back and looking for people who want to make music together.
The band, comprised of people from 100 Mile and the surrounding area, has been going since 2007. Everyone is welcome, regardless of skill and experience to its first rehearsal, slated for Sept. 13 at 7 p.m. at the Christ The King Lutheran Church on Horse Lake Road.
“It’s fun, challenging and rewarding in the end. The physical and emotional aspects alone make it worthwhile,” said band member Eric Grummisch. “But there is also the social side. We get a huge variety of people from all sorts of backgrounds.”
The band includes all woodwind, brass and percussion instruments, with music ranging from classical to jazz to big band selections. Grummisch encourages anyone interested to come to the practice whether they have been playing for years or have never picked up an instrument.
“I’m hoping and praying for a good turnout,” he said.
Five original members are confirmed, down from 17 before the pandemic. The band is led by director David Hooper, who said “as long as there is a core group of people who are interested, it will be successful.”
Long-time band member and trumpet player Trudy Endacott is excited for practice to resume.
“There’s no way I could ever give it up,” she said, adding she’s been playing trumpet since age nine. “I love music.”
Endacott recalled a music festival the band attended a few years ago. She laughs at the memory of this tiny band of 20 from the middle of nowhere standing next to bigger musical goups. “But it was so much fun. We had such a good time. My family even came out to watch.”
Both Grummisch and Endacott hope the annual Christmas concert at the two seniors’ homes in town will happen this year. And if rehearsals go well and the band develops, they hope to offer a late spring concert in 2023.
The band has become an integral part of the community over the years, according to Grummisch.
“It would be really sad to see the band not succeed.”
For further information contact Eric at eric_grum@hotmail.com, or 250-706-5076
fiona.grisswell@100milefreepress.net
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