MUNICIPAL BAND KICKS OFF SEASON MONDAY

A Memorial Day performance by the Cape Girardeau Municipal Band kicks off both the band's summer schedule and a Musical Mondays concert series.

Monday's performance begins at 7 p.m. at the Capaha Park Band Shell.

The program is a salute to veterans and will include a variety of patriotic songs and marches, said Ronald Nall, new conductor of the band this year.

"There is real variety on the program," he explained. "It's kind of an Americana-type concert."

Guest trumpet soloist Jeffrey Nall, a graduate student studying trumpet at the University of Oklahoma, will perform two pieces with the band.

Guest vocalist Chris Goeke, who teaches at Southeast Missouri State University, will sing with the band and also perform a solo section, accompanied by Gary Miller, who also teaches at the university.

A Dixieland group is also scheduled to perform at the concert. They will play five traditional Dixieland tunes, including "When the Saints Go Marching In."

The guest announcer for the program is Don McNeely.

The band's selections include "American Overture for Band," "When Johnny Comes Marching Home," "American Patrol March," "Stars and Stripes," and "America the Beautiful."

"We will also be honoring the veterans who will be there," Nall said.

The Monday performance marks the Municipal Band's first concert of the year. Beginning June 8, the band starts its regular season with performances each Wednesday night at the Capaha Park Band Shell. The band is also scheduled to perform June 10 at Riverfest.

Memorial Day, the Fourth of July, and Labor Day all fall on Monday, prompting the Musical Mondays series, sponsored by the Southeast Missouri Council on the Arts.

Beverly Strohmeyer, director of the arts council, said the series grew from Cape Girardeau bicentennial events held last summer. "We hope to make this a summer tradition," she said.

On the Fourth of July, the Missouri Symphony will perform at the A.C. Brase Arena Building, followed by a fireworks display.

The Labor Day performance is by the Compton Heights Concert Band, performing a tribute to our community's workforce.