Plans in the works for Owatonna Marching Band festival in 2010 on Owatonna

Everyone loves a marching band.
The Owatonna summer Marching Band program, under the direction of Pete Guenther, is recognized as one of the finest in the state of Minnesota. The program was begun by former band director Jim Thulien, and Guenther has carried the marching program to an even greater height. During the month of June, the Owatonna band travels to several festivals around the state and competes for and receives high marks in all of them. In the years that I drove one of the band buses to these band festivals, Guenther and I often talked about the day when Owatonna would host a major summer band festival.
That dream will become a reality this next year when Owatonna will host its own festival of marching bands. The date has been set for Sunday, June 20, and a committee, headed up by Kim Cosens of Owatonna has already begun work.
Cosens is not strange to quality band festivals. A long time marching band instructor in Waseca prior to coming to Owatonna, Cosens now assists Guenther as one of the Owatonna marching band instructors. He is excited about Owatonna hosting a marching band festival.
“I can envision this festival being recognized as one of the finest in the state,” Cosens said. “Owatonna’s geographical location makes it the perfect host, and the fact that it is home to the Wenger Corporation which makes music its primary focus completes the puzzle. The community is filled with music boosters that will get on board to handle the immense job of hosting a festival like this. This festival is designed to provide opportunities to showcase these young band member’s hard work in a competitive format as well as showcasing the many beautiful assets of the Owatonna community. At the same time, the festival pays homage to the vision and work of Harry Wenger and the continued focus on musical excellence that is the Wenger Company of today. Owatonna is proud to be the home of the man and the company. This festival will demonstrate that pride.”

What is a marching band festival?
You will see the best of the best in a marching band festival. A marching band festival does not include what you would associate with a traditional parade. There are no floats, queens, old tractors etc. You strictly enjoy marching bands, all competing for top honors in the day’s event. The routines you see are the result of hours and hours of diligent practice by these high school musicians. They have polished their performances to the utmost and they are there for you to enjoy.
The bands will all follow a marching route which is tentatively set to begin on Lincoln Avenue south of Main Street and proceed down Main Street and winding up at Central Park. Residents on some blocks feeding onto Lincoln Avenue will be treated to the warm-up by the bands before they start competition. Each participating band will be assigned a block in which to conduct their warm-ups.

Community support
There is already a growing amount of support for the band festival in Owatonna. The Rotary Clubs of Owatonna have agreed to partner with the event. At the recent meeting of the committee, an especially exciting announcement was made. The Music in Owatonna board of directors have offered the committee the use of their 501c3 as an umbrella for agency status feeling that this event was a good fit for their mission and purpose. The MIO board has offered to make this event their event for 2010. They consider this a win-win situation with their financial support for this first year only. After that they would return to providing their own event in 2012.

A full day of activity
The day of the marching band festival will be an exciting one in Owatonna. From the time the band buses arrive from communities all over the state until the event starts there will be continual activities. Cosens said, “We want this festival to be ranked among the best in the state. Owatonna deserves this. This will be a first class event now and 50 years from now.”
Stay tuned for more exciting information on the Owatonna Band Festival.

A meaningful Veterans Day ceremony for sixth graders
This coming Wednesday, Veterans Day, the annual Veterans Day program will be conducted at the Willow Creek School in Owatonna. Sixth grade students will start their day with a meaningful Veteran’s Day program conducted by the school with the cooperation with the Owatonna VFW and American Legion. Brenda Hanson, who works in the library at Willow Creek, spearheaded the program which began 16 years ago.
“Our principal, Ron Petterson, was a veteran and in talking with him, we decided to put together a meaningful program for the students,” Brenda told me. “It has grown every year. Students are invited to bring in pictures of relatives who have served and we put them in a power point presentation. It’s great to witness the pride these kids have of their family members who have served or are serving.”
The American Legion Color Guard takes part in the program, which includes a flag folding ceremony and the VFW Auxiliary hands out poppies to the students.
This year’s speaker will be Major Paula Dow Schnitker of Owatonna. Paula is a member of the Air Force Reserve. The Willow Creek choir also participates. By the way, the public is invited to come to this impressive ceremony which begins at 8:30 a.m. St. Mary’s school students will be bussed to the program.

Courthouse ceremony
The traditional Veterans Day flag raising ceremony will take place this Wednesday at 11 a.m. on the courthouse grounds. The American Legion Color Guard and the VFW Firing Squad will participate.

Steele County still No. 1 in Pheasants for Vets
This Veterans Day week is a good time to announce that Steele County has done it again. Although all of the funds haven’t been counted as of this date, it looks like our county is again No. 1 in the state for contributions to the Pheasants for Vets program. The annual auction that was held at the VFW Club raised over $10,000 and generous donations from Steele County residents have added to that amount. Fuzz Martin and Mike Pierce, our local chairs, remind you that there’s still time to send in your contribution. This Wednesday, Veterans Day, is the deadline. Make checks to Pheasants for Vets and send them to the VFW or American Legion Clubs or to Mike or Fuzz.

Mayor’s Prayer Breakfast revived
The Owatonna Exchange Club is re-introducing the Owatonna Mayor’s Prayer Breakfast. The breakfasts were an annual event a number of years ago hosted by various service organizations in the community. Prayer breakfasts are generally held the Thursday before Thanksgiving for the express purpose of heightening the awareness of our rich religious heritage. This year’s Mayor’s Prayer Breakfast will be held Thursday, Nov. 19, beginning at 7:30 a.m. with a buffet breakfast. The hour long program will begin at 8 a.m. Tickets are $10 per person available at Kottke Jewelers, Hy-Vee, Owatonna Chamber of Commerce, and from Exchange Club members.

KC honored Knight for September
Bob Grebe was honored as the Owatonna Council 945 Knights of Columbus Knight of the Month for September. Bob has been a member of the KCs since 2005. He has worked at Cedar Valley Services as a vocational rehabilitation counselor for 32 years. He, his wife Kathy, and family are members of St. Joseph’s Parish.

Margaret Bruno celebrates 100th
I had a lovely chat with Margaret Bruno of Owatonna who celebrated her 100th birthday on Oct. 28. Margaret is healing from a broken pelvis at Cedarview Care Center but hopes to get back home soon. Margaret is a lovely person and is very sharp. She remembers having my wife in her Brownie troop. Margaret was born in Northfield and worked for many years at Northwestern Bell as a long distance operator. She spent three years here in Owatonna as chief operator. Her husband, Don, was our official “KRFO Historian” and made many taped episodes of Steele County history that we aired on the station. Those tapes are part of the files at the Steele County Historical Society. Margaret and Don had three daughters… Janice Jensen in Owatonna, Marilyn (who married OHS grad John (Gus) Bjorkland) of St. Paul, and Donna in Shoreview. She is especially proud of the card she received from President Obama. If you still want to send her greetings, write her at Cedarview Care Center, 1409 South Cedar, Owatonna.

Just a little Lefse
SeniorPlace in Owatonna volunteers have been diligently working the past five weeks in making Lefse and it’s now for sale. No orders taken, it’s first come, first served. You can pick up Lefse at SeniorPlace Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Half dozen is $7.50 and a dozen is $15.

Duffy’s surgery a success
I visited with former Owatonnan Duffy Hamren’s daughter, Joyce, who informed me that Duffy’s knee replacement surgery went well. He will have to undergo therapy. Again, his mailing address is 856 Fairway View Dr., Eugene, Oregon 97401.

Dunkirk undergoes five bypasses
Former Owatonnan Denny Dunkirk underwent heart surgery recently and received five by-passes. He is recuperating. For cards, his mailing address is: 1964 Daytona Dr., Lake Havasu City, AZ 86403.

Gifts to the schools
Latest gifts to the Owatonna Public Schools include $300 to Wilson Elementary from Preferred Outlets at Medford and an $1,800 value Magnisight donated by Evangeline Hager.

Federated anniversaries
Congratulations to these Owatonna Federated employees observing 30 years at the company: Mark Ribbe, Larry Chladek, Barb Watson and OHS grad Dan Horecka who now lives in Tennessee. Celebrating 25 years are Joan Richards and Tammy Wobschall.

Hospital auxiliary annual holiday bazaar
The new hospital will be the setting for the Owatonna Hospital Auxiliary annual Holiday Bazaar to be held this Saturday, Nov. 14, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Look for homemade rolls, kolackys and coffee in the morning and Sloppy Joe sandwiches for lunch. Also, this Friday, Nov. 13, and Saturday, Nov. 14, the bi-annual “new books and gifts sale” will be held from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. each day at the hospital.

Pierce and Place at Albert Lea theater
Larry Pierce and Mark Place of Owatonna are part of the ensemble cast in “Breaking Legs” at the Albert Lea Community Theatre. Show dates are Nov. 12, 13, 14, 18, 19, 20 and 21. For ticket information, call (507) 377-4371 from 3:30 p.m. to 6 p.m.

Jottings
• It’s potato and buttermilk pancakes today from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. at St. John Lutheran Church in Havana Township. Proceeds will go toward the Memorial Park on the previous church site and St. John Lutheran Scholarship Fund for college students.
• Remember, if you wish to donate a turkey for the upcoming annual Community Thanksgiving Dinner, they have to be dropped off at the VFW a week ahead so they can be properly thawed and prepared. Donations can be sent to Trudy Pierce, 2015 LaCasa Lane, S.E. in Owatonna.
• There are still some spaces available for winter storage in buildings at the fairgrounds. Call Josh Prokopec at (507) 676-3914 to make arrangements.

Todd Hale can be reached at thalescff@ll.net or write him at 632 14th St. S.E., Owatonna, MN 55060.

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