BRODHEAD - The First Brigade Band is ready to offer tradition and showmanship at this year's Covered Bridge Days, which begins Friday in Brodhead.
The First Brigade Band will celebrate its 50th anniversary during the festival. Bandmaster Jon Condon said his crew of volunteer musicians will play several pieces of music composed in the Civil War era.
The original First Brigade Band was a regiment of Brodhead men who played for the troops throughout the war. Reenactors of the band came together in 1964 and have been keeping the tradition alive ever since.
The band consists of members who live throughout the state and meet weekly in Watertown to practice for shows they perform in the Midwest. Condon said the group has been to Indiana, Illinois, Michigan and as far south as Georgia. He said the band usually plays anywhere from 22 to 28 shows and travels more than 20,000 miles in a year.
Condon said the band is a "labor of love" and fully volunteer-based. He said he has even ironed out and sewn together some of the traditional clothing.
"I had no idea what I was doing, but I did it all the same," he said.
He said the music makes it all worth it. The volunteers use traditional instruments like brass horns that are cradled over the player's shoulder, aimed backwards so they could be pointed at the marching soldiers. Condon said they have some antique drums they bring out for show but rarely play.
"You just can't beat on (the drums) anymore," Condon said.
The band will begin around 4:30 p.m. Saturday with an abbreviated group in a circle concert. From there, the group will march from Putnam Park to the Square before the full band strikes up for an hour-long set at 6 p.m.
The original band was formed 150 years ago in 1864 by 18 men from Brodhead who enlisted with Gen. William T. Sherman in the campaigns of northern Georgia and the Carolinas. Condon said they keep the tradition of that old band alive with their garb and instruments. Most of the instruments are antiques accumulated over the years. He said they have band members from high school age to their oldest member at 87.
Condon said their performance is filled with fun, quick-step marches and rousing nationalistic tunes.
"We clap, we sing, and we pick on people politely," he said.
Condon said they try to break up their musical routines with amusing anecdotes, having one of their members tell stories about the Civil War between some of their sets.
Covered Bridge Days will also feature the 4th annual Wildflower Arts Festival. Art will be on display from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday at Veterans Park and will feature artwork from three states. Wood, painting, glass, ceramics, jewelry and photography are just a few of the mediums on display. There will also be a native plant tour at 10:30 a.m. Sunday in Putnam Park followed by a marshmallow roast.
The First Brigade Band will celebrate its 50th anniversary during the festival. Bandmaster Jon Condon said his crew of volunteer musicians will play several pieces of music composed in the Civil War era.
The original First Brigade Band was a regiment of Brodhead men who played for the troops throughout the war. Reenactors of the band came together in 1964 and have been keeping the tradition alive ever since.
The band consists of members who live throughout the state and meet weekly in Watertown to practice for shows they perform in the Midwest. Condon said the group has been to Indiana, Illinois, Michigan and as far south as Georgia. He said the band usually plays anywhere from 22 to 28 shows and travels more than 20,000 miles in a year.
Condon said the band is a "labor of love" and fully volunteer-based. He said he has even ironed out and sewn together some of the traditional clothing.
"I had no idea what I was doing, but I did it all the same," he said.
He said the music makes it all worth it. The volunteers use traditional instruments like brass horns that are cradled over the player's shoulder, aimed backwards so they could be pointed at the marching soldiers. Condon said they have some antique drums they bring out for show but rarely play.
"You just can't beat on (the drums) anymore," Condon said.
The band will begin around 4:30 p.m. Saturday with an abbreviated group in a circle concert. From there, the group will march from Putnam Park to the Square before the full band strikes up for an hour-long set at 6 p.m.
The original band was formed 150 years ago in 1864 by 18 men from Brodhead who enlisted with Gen. William T. Sherman in the campaigns of northern Georgia and the Carolinas. Condon said they keep the tradition of that old band alive with their garb and instruments. Most of the instruments are antiques accumulated over the years. He said they have band members from high school age to their oldest member at 87.
Condon said their performance is filled with fun, quick-step marches and rousing nationalistic tunes.
"We clap, we sing, and we pick on people politely," he said.
Condon said they try to break up their musical routines with amusing anecdotes, having one of their members tell stories about the Civil War between some of their sets.
Covered Bridge Days will also feature the 4th annual Wildflower Arts Festival. Art will be on display from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday at Veterans Park and will feature artwork from three states. Wood, painting, glass, ceramics, jewelry and photography are just a few of the mediums on display. There will also be a native plant tour at 10:30 a.m. Sunday in Putnam Park followed by a marshmallow roast.