Barton Community College will host a presentation at 2 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 10 in the Cohen Center in the Learning Resource Center titled “Old Time Town Band Boys,” about the golden age of “town” or “city” bands in Kansas history.  Refreshments will be served.
Great Bend resident Joe Boley will present a monologue of sorts in the character of a city band director to tell the story of how these bands were an entertainment staple in almost every Kansas town, big or small, from the 1870s up through the 1920s.  They would perform concerts in parks and downtown areas.
“These bands were a lot of times the only forms of entertainment, before radio or TV kind of took over,” Boley said.
City bands still live on, and Great Bend’s continues to play concerts throughout the year.  Boley plays trombone in the band, and served as the band director for USD 428 for 36 years.
The presentation is sponsored by the Cohen Kansas History Center, which is dedicated to preserving resources in Kansas and inspiring research in Kansas history. The center is in the southeast alcove of the Learning Resource Center on the Barton County campus and is the result of the generosity of Barton P. and Dr. Mary Davidson Cohen of Leawood.  Admission is free.