Community Band to perform at State Fair

The Hamilton County Community Band is celebrating 120 years of making music with a debut performance at the Nebraska State Fair this year. On Monday, Aug. 25 at 7 p.m., the band will perform at the Earl May Fair Square. The band has carried several different names over the years, but has been an active participant in several community events throughout its rich history. 
The history of the Hamilton County Community Band can be traced back to 1905, when the Aurora Republican newspaper announced the formation of “a large musical organization” called the Aurora Municipal Band. At the time of formation, the band consisted of forty members from throughout Hamilton County. In 1906, the band stand on the square was built and dedicated to the Aurora Cornet Band.
The Aurora Municipal Band was quite active in the 1920s, traveling to several different venues and even performing over the radio. One of their most notable adventures occurred in 1926, when the band was one of two music ensembles featured at a major rodeo event in Burwell. For this event, the band brought along tents and mess kits as they spent three days performing multiple times a day at the venue.
Continuing into the 1930s, the band’s summer open-air concerts were a highlight of the season for the local community. Their weekly programs were printed in the local newspaper, and the concerts sometimes drew hundreds of people. The group was also active during patriotic holidays such as the Fourth of July and Memorial Day. It was also around the 1930s that the band began to actively reach out to local school students to include them in their group; a tradition that continues to this day.
In the decades following, the band experienced times of both struggle and revitalization. In 1971, Samuel Ross became the director of the Hamilton County Centennial Band – named in honor of the City of Aurora’s (est. 1871) centennial celebration. Eventually, the name changed to the Hamilton Concert Band and then the Hamilton County Community Band. As travel became more convenient, the band expanded to include members from other surrounding counties, making it a regional band in addition to a county one. Within the last 20 years, the band has had members from about nine different Nebraska counties and about ten different cities and towns. In the 1980s, the band stand in Aurora underwent a rebuilding project, and was rededicated to the Hamilton County Community Band in 1991 as part of the Courthouse’s upcoming centennial celebration.
Some notable directors in the band’s past have included P. H. Burt, Fred Hess, Fred Hess, Jr., L. F. Heaney, Chris Rasmussen, Glenn Clark, James Vincent, T. L. Meyers, G. B. Lombardo, George Houser, Mark Eskildsen, Clarence F. O’Brien, Yvonne Ross, Samuel Ross, Cliff Jensen and Ashley Gibson. 
In recent years, the Hamilton County Community Band has performed for various patriotic occasions, summer festivals, Christmas parties, birthday parties, memorial receptions, care facilities and retirement communities. In 1926, a local newspaper article reported on how then-director James Vincent had high hopes the band would be featured at the Nebraska State Fair. Ninety-nine years later, now in 2025, Director Vincent’s dream has become a reality with the band scheduled to play at the Nebraska State Fair.
In the 1905 announcement about the band’s founding, the newspaper article stated, “A good band is a necessity to a community of this size, and the benefits from it are many and immeasurable.” The current band brings together members from all walks of life, from high school students to musicians in their nineties. Volunteers travel from around Hamilton County and neighboring communities, meeting each week to share their love of music through rehearsals and performances at venues across the region.
“As we move ahead into the future, the Hamilton County Community Band wishes to express its gratitude to the communities that have supported its members for the last 120 years,” said current director Ashley Gibson.  “The band hopes to continue to be a necessity to our region of Nebraska, with the benefits being felt by members and audiences alike. A heartfelt invitation is extended to instrumentalists from across the area to rediscover the joy of making music. Whether you’ve been performing regularly or your instrument has been resting quietly for decades, we welcome you to join our community of musicians! Together, we share the thrill of rehearsals, the camaraderie of friendship, connection within our communities and a sense of purpose that comes from performing for audiences throughout the region. Your music — and your presence — will make our harmony complete, for the joy of music never fades!”
Musicians interested in joining the band can contact Gibson at hamiltoncountyband@gmail.com.