As the Great Geauga County Fair Band enters its 75th season, band member Barbara Ricca can proudly say, “I’ve been there since the beginning!” Ricca joined the band at the encouragement of Chardon Elementary School Band Director Mr. Cheney in 1938 when she was 15 years old. At the time, the Band was largely made up of adult players, with Ricca and a young man from Chester being the only exceptions.
She laughs, “It wasn’t because I was so good. It was because Mr. Chaney knew I needed the practice.” In those days, the Band rehearsed every Tuesday night in the old dance hall on the Burton Fairgrounds.
Today, the Band’s composition is trending towards the opposite dynamic, with an increasing number of middle and high school students participating alongside its now aging adult members. Ricca suspects that’s due to the fact that “adults are just too busy to enjoy playing the way we did.”
One thing that hasn’t changed is the Band’s open rehearsal policy on Tuesday evenings from mid-March through the end of August. Musicians of all ages are invited to bring their instruments and sit in on rehearsals, which are now held in the Burton High School Band Room from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m.
According to Ricca, the repertory can be challenging but “if they can play and keep up, they are welcome.” Although she relinquished her position as First Trumpet long ago, Ricca still enjoys the camaraderie of the Band and the incentive it provides to keep musically adept. She explains, “Some members have a real high level of competency. They’re professionals. I don’t do as much practicing as I should. But once rehearsals start, I enjoy the practice.”
According to Ricca, the repertory can be challenging but “if they can play and keep up, they are welcome.”
In Ricca’s early years with the Great Geauga County Fair Band, its repertory was almost exclusively marches, most notably those by the renowned conductor and composer John Phillips Sousa. Those are still some of her favorites. But today the song list is far more eclectic, including band arrangements of popular tunes that cross generations. Although the Band once performed almost exclusively at the Great Geauga County Fair, today, they entertain at community parades and special events across the county and even occasionally beyond it. Nevertheless, the highlight of their year continues to be the two band concerts played every day of the fair.
For a full calendar of 2013 band appearances, please visit our website. For questions or additional information, call Shirley Hamilton at 440-213-9409.
