The best support you can give the band is to take time to give yourself a treat. Come out to Robinson Park on band concert night. Enjoy a relaxing, pleasant evening outdoors listening to some great band music. Bring your boy friend, girl friend, or husband, wife, kids, grandparents - all your relatives and friends. Band concert in the park is a tradition all over the country and Wisconsin Rapids is no exception. It has been for years and will no doubt continue to be for years to come. Pleasurable listening, enjoyable surroundings, fine company. These are the things that make band concert nights so popular and are the driving forces that keep bands going and going stronger than ever - and they will continue strong as long as people remain capable of sharing the pleasures and joys of a musical evening in the park.

At the present time, the Wisconsin City Band is struggling a bit to keep going due to financial restrictions and funding problems. The last couple of years the band has become dependent on local citizens and businesses for performance costs. Both have responded generously and band concert night is still actually band concert night, but the need continues and and the necessity for contributions and sponsorships also continues.

There are a number of ways you can help:

Attend band fund raising events such as brat fries and treat yourself to some delicious food and a bit of good socializing. It's a nice way to benefit the band while enjoying yourself.

Come out to Robinson Park with family and friends on band concert nights and treat yourself to a variety of first-rate band music played in pleasant surroundings. If you happen to get thirsty or feel like a treat during the concert, treat yourself to some bottled water and/or ice cream. You'll not only be treating yourself, but benefiting the band as well.

Each year the band performs a Benefit Concert in the Performing Arts Center, Lincoln High School. This generally involves an hour band concert followed by a variety of entertaining features including such things as dancers, comedy skits and musical groups. This is a FREE event, however, those desiring to do so may make an optional donation.

We appreciate contributions of any amount at any time. If you wish to contribute by check, please make your check payable to: Wisconsin Rapids City Band and mail to: 478 E. Grand Ave. Wisconsin Rapids, WI 54494.

The Wisconsin Rapids City Band is a nonprofit organization under Section 501(c)(3) of the tax code and contributions are tax-deductible as allowed by law.

There a number of ways you, your organization, or your business can sponsor the band.

• For $250 you can Sponsor a band concert. (The band will work with you to find the best way to get your name and message across, whether it be a "commercial" within the concert itself, passing out material, posting banners, guest performer, etc.)
• Purchase an ad in the City Band program. (Ads range from $60 - 200, and include an ad on the City Band web site along with a link to your web site, if you have one.)
• Donate an amount of your choosing toward the band's operational expenses.
• Donate an amount of your choosing toward the Band Endowment fund.
• Ellen Roeseler is the Band's fund raiser. Give her a call at 715-421-0425 or e-mail her at edwrct@wctc.net She'll be very happy to discuss band sponsorships and work with you on ways to implement them in the best possible manner that will achieve everyone's goals.

Our present funding situation reminds one a little bit of a similar situation experienced by the Boston Pops Orchestra during the Great Depression years. Perhaps some of you have heard this story as it was related by Norman Gilliland on a Public Radio "Grace Notes" feature.

It seems the Boston Pops Orchestra was having funding difficulties and had to rely on contributions to keep functioning. Consequently donation canisters were placed throughout the park where the concerts were played. Unfortunately, however, pitifully dwindling amounts were collected.

A strange thing happened one band concert night. The concert opened as usual, but after playing a few musical selections one musician packed up his instrument, folded his music stand, and walked off. After another musical selection a couple more musicians packed up and also left. This continued throughout the evening until there was only one musician left to play and he also left after what turned out to be the last selection of the evening. After he left, Arthur Fiedlier, the conductor, turned to the audience, walked over to to the lights, turned them off, put on his hat and left.

The audience clearly got the message and after that evening the donation canisters always held enough to keep the orchestra going through some pretty tough times.

That is not about to happen here. For one thing the Wisconsin Rapids City Band musicians all volunteer and are not paid so they wouldn't be forced to leave one by one or in small groups like that evening at the Boston Pops Concert.

Funding for the City Band is used to cover performance costs and not musician's salaries. So without the necessary funding the ability for the entire band to perform would immediately and completely collapse. It would not slowly dwindle and fade away.

However, that is not about to happen here. The Boston Pops is going stronger than ever and so will the Wisconsin Rapids City Band continue stronger than ever.