PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The Eagles Community Band has been performing music in the Berkshires and beyond for nearly 90 years.
In its second year back since the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic lockdown, fans can look forward to free summer concerts at The Common and Springside Park as well as numerous other performances throughout the year.
"I would say they were as eager to get back to playing as they were to see their friends," principal conductor Carl Jenkins said about the musicians. "It was really was very special for some."
Band manager Deanna Fraher added that people will come up to band members after performances, thank them, and say how they have been waiting for their return.
There are different ensembles within the band including a concert band, stage band, brass ensemble, and trombone ensemble. The musicians try to get together at least once a week for practice.
Board President and stage band conductor James Stakenas likes that the band is a social outlet for people.
"There are some friends in the band that I've had for 30 years," he said.
"Not all the time in the band but we've made some good friendships and we've made some great music and it's one of the things that I really like about the organization, it' s social organization as much as a musical organization."
He said the board met frequently during the worst of the pandemic to brainstorm how to keep members safe and allow them to participate.
"All the board members rallied to participate and it really was a smooth opening," Stakenas added. "And we've not rested, we've continued to look at the numbers, we continue to look at the policies."
Musicians 12 years or older can become members and the players cover a wide range of ages. In the summer there are around 45 members and the rest of the year there are around 65.
Founded in 1936, it is the oldest continuing performance ensemble in the Berkshires. The band was originally sponsored by the Fraternal Order of Eagles Aerie 358 and became a nonprofit organization in 1993.
Fraher explained that it started as a marching unit and transitioned into becoming more of a concert band in the mid- to late 1990s. This was primarily due to the age of the members, as most of the trumpet players were in their 70s and 80s.
The Eagles Band has three premier concerts: a spring concert at First United Methodist Church, a free concert at the Colonial Theatre in November, and a holiday concert also at the church.
"The second one and the most important one for us is the one at the Colonial on the first Friday of November," Fraher said. "We usually fill the house, it's a free concert for anybody that attends so it gives the community a chance to come to something at the Colonial that doesn't cost them much of anything and it gives us a chance to be in a more formal concert venue."
With the Colonial Theatre concert, the band has brought in soloists to feature from different avenues.
The free outdoor concerts are called the "Concert in The Park Series." There will be four this summer: three at the Common under the pavilion and one at Springside.
"The summer concerts are far more of a pops-oriented, kind of lighter weight music, a lot of Broadway show tunes and marches, patriotic tunes, folk tunes," Jenkins said. "Anything that might be a little bit more familiar to the audience."
Before the pandemic, there were about 200 people attending the outdoor concerts. In past years, the organization has played about 30 performances annually.
The band also plays one concert a year with another high school group, which Jenkins said has been well received by the public school community.
When asked what their goals are for this year, band members had varied answers.
Jenkins would like to see how much he can challenge the musicians with musical material. Stakenas would like this to be a growth year, returning to some kind of normal, building audiences, and getting additional venues.
Fraher explained that the organization is looking into getting a larger rehearsal space because they have had to turn people away due to limited capacity. She described the Methodist church as a godsend that has provided space for almost free for nearly 20 years.
For more information on The Eagles Band and for a concert schedule, visit eaglescommunityband.org.
If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.
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Letter: Constitutional Crisis
Letter to the Editor
To the Editor:
In his inaugural speech, the president invoked America in the late 19th century when political corruption was rampant, Jim Crow laws were enacted, and disparities in income and wealth soared. Since then, the daily barrage of presidential edicts have ranged from absurdity, recklessness, vindictiveness and most concerning lawlessness. His words and actions have sown seeds of uncertainty, anxiety and fear. Presidential governance has become the politics of chaos in an attempt to grab power. MAGA/Republican legislators in the House and Senate feign their responsibilities. Blind loyalty to the president is their number one priority.
The Constitution is the law of the land, the bedrock of our democratic state. However imperfect, it aspires to secure, life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness for all Americans. Beggaring belief, we are currently witnessing a constitutional coup intent on circumventing the legislative and judicial branches. Laws, regulations, norms and protocols are being violated. Americans of all ilk, various organizations, Democratic legislators and the federal courts are attempting to check this presidential overreach.
Authoritarianism is defined as a political system which rejects democracy, the separation of powers, civil liberties, and the rule of law. The most recent remarks by the president, vice president, the billionaire aide-de-camp, and his MAGA minions indicate an attempt to undermine our system of government. These actors mean to overrule judicial review by our federal courts and ultimately our Supreme Court.
What to do? At this time, our duty as citizens is to become informed and active. Millions of Americans are becoming aware of this constitutional crisis at hand. People are following, joining and contributing to pro-democracy organizations at the local, state, and national level. It is incumbent upon all Americans to raise our voices, protest and vote to ensure that this great experiment, American Democracy, survives.
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