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MESSAGEScarried to DISTANT pointsTHROUGH VISITS OF CANTON’Sgreat military bandsWINS MANY LAURELSFamous Grand Army Travels FromCoast to Coast and From Mexicoto Canada—Thayer’s Leads Soldiersand Knights of Pythias—YoungerOrganizationsBest known among Canton’s musical organizations, undoubtedly, is theGrand Army band. one of the oldest military bands In the state. It has probably done more to advertise Canton by Its tours and Its foreignengagements, which extend fromBoston, on the Atlantic coast to gpokane and Tacoma on the Pacific, and from New Orleans and Dallas, Texas, on the south, to and acrossthe Canadian border on the north.The band was organized in 18G6 with 14 members and has graduallyincreased to Its present strength ofabout 40 members. It was incorporated in 1890. T. E. Bates was the first director, or leader, as he was then called, but in 1870 was succeeded by Thomas F. Kirk, now musical director of the Nixon theatre ofPittsburg. O. Weiss, now of Sousa’sband, and J. Kumerfeldt were alsoformer directors. Charles Fiala, nowat the head of another Canton band, w’as director of the Grand Army attwo periods. He was succeeded thelast time by Emil Reiukendorff, whohas wielded the baton since 1885. Itwas under Mr. Reinkendorff’s administration that the band developed its high state of efficiency and gained the prominence which secured the many notable engagements away from home.The band tvas three years old before it was uniformed. And what a uniform that first one was! Gaudiness was in those days the first consideration for bands as well as for fire companies. The first outfits consisted of white cloth swallow-tail coats bedecked with red epaulettes, garnished with much gilt braid and having three rows of brass buttonsdown the front; bright red trousers with broad gilt stripes covering the outside seams and red and gilt caps to match. The band first wore these uniforms while filling an engagement at Allegheny during the dedicationof a monument in 1869. The very first out-of-town engagement of the band was for a political meeting in Alliance in 1867. By 1876 the band had gained a reputation which won for it an engagement as escort for a Pittsburg commandery of the Knights Templar to the centennial at Philadelphia. Since then it has filled many notable engagements, among them the following;Knight’s Templar conclave in Chicago, 1880; President Garfield’s funeral, Cleveland, 1881; ten days each year at a summer resort at St. Clair Springs, Miph., 1885 to 1888 inclusive and ten days each year at Chautauqua, 1889 to 1894 inclusive; dedication of the Worlds Fair at Chicago. 1892 and two weeks at the fair the next year; escort to King Rex at the New Orleans Mardi Gras, 1895; official band at the National G. A. R. encampment at Louisville, Ky., 1895; Knights’ Templar conclave at Bos-l1i►WILLIAM E. STRASSNER.ton and visit to Quebec and New York city, 1895; with Ohio delegation to republican national convention at St. Louis, 1896 and official band of the McKinley campaign in Canton that year, escorting most ofthe visiting delegations to the McKinley home; G. A. R. encampmentat Buffalo as escort to a Chicago post, 1897; exclusive musical organization at Spokane, Wash., Industrial Exposition, 1899; with Ohio delegation to republican national convention at Philadelphia, 1900, including a concert in the White House at Washington following the convention, 1900; exclusive musical attraction for Elks’ carnival at Tacoma, Wash., 1901; official band of national G. A. R. encampment, Cleveland, 1901; official band reunion of the Confederacy, Dallas, Texas, 1902.The band also attended every convention at which the late President McKinley was a candidate for nomination, all of the notable functions in which he was concerned and ledthe cortege on the day of his funeral.The present officers of the band are: President, George E. Nauman; vice president, Gustav Ehman; treasurer, George F. Dages; secretary and manager, George E. Jones; drum major, E. B. Bour.The Thayer Fifth Regiment band,while a much younger organization than the Grand Army, has also carried messages of melody from Canton tlo many distant points and added much to the fame of the city as a musical center. It was a boys’ band in the beginning, which was in 1892, the members, then with one or two exceptions being young men in their 'teens and was often referred to as the Kid band.” But those boys have grown into men and also into musicians and as a military band Thayer’s has few equals in the state.Prof. H. Clarke Thayer, after whom the band is named, is largely responsible for the high degree of efficiency the band has attained. He was its instructor up to 1903, when he left the city, and many of the members were pupils at his studio at the time the band was organized.Archie R. Sheehan, the present drum major, a former active member of the National Guard, drilled military tactics into the band ami in the early days, when the Louisville road, out beyond Mahoning street was used for a drill ground,the youngsters of the East End took great delight in watching the effortsat military evolutions with much merriment and incidently poked a great deal of fun at the would-be marchers. Perseverance, however, won in this case as it always does, and today no band presents a finer street appearance or displays a better military bearing than does the Thayer. During a number of years’ absence from the city of Mr. Sheehan, William F. Voges served as drum major but relinquished the position when the former returned.The present officers of the band are J. W. Burkhart, president; William Karn, vice president; Ed. 8. Wilson, secretary; August Gronau, treasurer. William E. Strassner, the present director and manager of the band, was one of the charter members and in the early days of practice, in the little school house on the lot of the First Reformed church in East Tuscarawas street, did much to help the less experienced master their instruments, sumed the directorship and ment when Prof. Thayer city to join the faculty of the Dana Musical Institute at Warren, O.. and his efforts have been crowned with marked success. Sheriff Frank o. Wilson Is assistant to ManagerStrassner.Since March 4, 1904, the band hasconstituted the musical section of the Fifth regiment, National Guard of Ohio, with headquarters in Cleveland, having been selected in preference to a number of other bands located in towns supporting companies of the regiment. The first period of enlistment expired March 4 and the members have re-enlisted for three years. There are 36 members of the band enlisted in the regiment, Director Strassner bearing the title of chief musician, which in the United States army ranks as a secondlads toH e a s-man age-left theI •155Ii ’ 8 ! 8i§i• •• •88• «• •ilieutenant, while Adam Shorb, with j lt;8the title of principal musician, rankswith the sergeant majors. There are 8 also ten members who serve as noncommissioned officers, ranking as sergeants and corporals. The band j •:? accompanies the regiment on all of j •:£its trips and to the annual encampments and, with thp regiment, filled an engagement at the St. Louis Ex- imposition in 1904. The annual encampments have taken the band to Indianapolis, Ind., to Painesville and a number of other towns. In 1901 the band spent a week at Washington during the Knights of Pythias en- j *:♦: campment and as escort of the Second regiment of the K. P.'s it attended the encampments at Youngstown, Cleveland and Sandusky. The band played at the first inauguration of McKinley as governor and during the memorable presidential campaign in Canton in 1896 did a vast amount of escort work for the visiting delegations. It has a standing engagement to play in Cleveland on Decoration Day.The Thayer and the Grand Army hands are both affiliated with the international union of musicians and governed by the rules of that organization.Charles Fiala, one of the oldest and best known musicians of the city, and a former director of the Grand Army, is now at the head of an organization bearing his name, the Fiala Military band. This had its origin in the local branch of the Modern Woodmen of the World, afraternal organization, and was primarily an auxiliary to the lodge, heading the members on parade and playing at their picnics and outings.Mr. Fiala was employed as instructor8I% «• •ii• •1i.V • •V.a; lt;y.I •. •iand as the members advanced in musical ability it was decided to branch out by increasing the membership and making its services available on all proper occasions, i Under this plan Mr. Fiala’s name was adopted and there is now anorganization of about 35 uniformedPROF. EMIL REINKENDORFF.men whose lively quicksteps and stirring inarches mark time for many a parade on the streets of the city.The Canton Marine band is a juvenile band in a dual sense. It is the youngest organization of the kind in the city and its members are all very young men—boys in fact. It has been in existence several years and in that time has madegreat progress. Paul Hartung isleader and manager while William E. Strassner is director and instructor, although he does not play in public with the band. The boys are uniformed and present a natty appearance.Conspicuous among the marchingmusical organizations of the city is the Deuber Drum and Bugle Corps, composed of some 30 employes oi the watch works handsomely uniformed in white. The corps makes a splendid appearance, is well drilled in marching and renders martial airs with the swing and dash so essential to good march music. It attracts favorable attention in every parade in which it appears.Within the past year a number of the Italians of the city have organized a band which promises to be a success. It is composed of men, women and children, all of whom aremusicians.1V.v.V• *• •• •I .8• •• • • •• «.V8.viV.iV.• •.V.V • •I•x•!si18 • ♦We Have Observed.That the more a wife keeps her husband in hot water, the less tender he becomes.The young woman with teeth like pearls is rarely as dumb as an oyster.That no man is really a* clever ashis fiancee thinks be is.That while a woman of 30 willclaim ^he is not over 26, a woman of60 will say she is 75.That the way some wives breaktheir husband's iion will is by rustingIt out eye-wuter.That wiiile matrimony was once looked upon as a life journey, it nowproves too often only an excursion trip.That while I.ove may laugh at locksmiths, the milliner and the dressmaker make him feel uiightly serious.Boston Transcript1%%V. • ••Xi551 I %IA Dc 'rtstlc Tragedy.She went to uy wool underwear,The wat. she multi net;But Btruek a bar,;* -muterAnd bought embroidered net!
Newspaper Details
Canton Morning News
Canton, Ohio, US
Sat, Apr 03, 1909
Page 21
Full Page
Clipped by
Anonymous
USA 04 Feb 2023
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