Strike up the bands

The municipal band tradition happily is alive and well in Jackson and Cape Girardeau. Both cities support thriving muny bands, legacies from the days when a city was as proud of its band as its sports teams.

Hundreds of people in lawn chairs attend both bands' free concerts each week. As fireflies twinkle in the sky, marches, tunes from Broadway musicals and big-band music pour forth from the bandshells.

The Cape band, directed by Ron Nall, plays at 8 p.m. Wednesday nights at the Capaha Park Municipal Bandshell. The Jackson band performs Thursday nights, usually at 8 p.m., at Jackson City Park. Nick Leist is the director.

In the distant past, the Cape band performed in the gazebo in Courthouse Park. That spot has been taken over by Old Town Cape's Tunes at Twilight, a free Friday night presentation of folk and Americana music that draws large audiences as well.

Summer in our cities means music.