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Shippensburg Bands present summer concerts


SHIPPENSBURG - The Shippensburg Town, German, and Swing bands have free concerts throughout the region scheduled for the summer of 2016.

Local musicians ranging in age from high school students to octogenarians perform with one or more of the three bands, presenting a variety of musical styles.

The Shippensburg German Band, “Blaskapelle Shippensburg,” performs authentic German and Austrian songs from Bohemia, Bavaria, and Tirol with some of the beloved American German Band songs.  There will be rolling beer-drinking song with rolling beer-drinking songs, traditional melodies, and lively polkas and waltzes.  You will be encouraged to you to clap your hands, sing along, and dance to the traditional folk tunes usually presented at German festivals.

The 20-piece Shippensburg Swing Band, directed by Vicki Baker, plays a variety of music from Elvis to Glenn Miller to the “Chicken Dance," inviting the audience to jump to their feet and dance.

The Shippensburg Town Band, directed by Carl Sponenberg, is a community band that has gathered many individuals from Shippensburg and surrounding area to make music and share it with others. The band is a dynamic group of young and old from all walks of life. Some have degrees in music and/or music education, but most participants are amateurs. The band rehearses on Tuesday nights from 8-9:30 p.m. in the Shippensburg Area Senior High School Band Room.  Anyone who plays a band instrument is invited to come to a rehearsal and join.

The summer series kicks off on Friday, June 17, when the Swing Band performs at the Newville Fountain Festival at 6:30 p.m. Enjoy the outdoors and listen to lively and entertaining music selections.

The Town Band entertains before Shippensburg's Fourth of July fireworks at Veterans Memorial Park beginning at 8 p.m. Bring blankets or lawn chairs and come early for the festivities.

On Wednesday, July 6, join the Swing Band at 6:30 p.m. for the opening night of the Newville Lions Community Fair. On Thursday, July 7, the German Band entertains at the Chambersburg Memorial Park Kiwanis Band Shell beginning at 7 p.m.

The Town Band performs at 7 p.m. on Thursday, July 14, at the Chambersburg Memorial Park Kiwanis Band Shell. Bring a lawn chair or a blanket. The Swing Band takes a turn at the Kiwanis Band Shell on Thursday, August 4, also at 7 p.m.

The Shippensburg Community Fair Vespers Service on July 24 features the Town Band performing at 7 p.m.

Don’t miss the 30th Grand Sousa Concert on August 7 in Carlisle, featuring members of a number of local community bands, including Shippensburg's Town, Swing, and German bands.

The Swing Band will participate in Greencastle’s Old Home Week with a performance on August 10 beginning at 7 p.m. at Jerome R. King playground.

All three bands round out a summer of performances August 27 with the 36th Shippensburg Corn Festival. The German Band performs at 9 a.m., the Town Band at 11 a.m., and the Swing Band at 1 p.m. The performances take place in the driveway of Fogelsanger-Bricker Funeral Home.

More information and specific event details are available at www.shipband.org.