For thirty-one years, Mercer has supported the summer band concerts by the Mercer Community Band. During the early years the band concerts were held the last two Fridays in June, with the band consisting of about 20 members. Currently, the band numbers over 90 musicians coming from the tri-county area and eastern Ohio and performs weekly Friday night concerts in June and July. Local service and civic groups sponsor ice cream socials and the warm-up groups. Without a doubt, it is the best free summer entertainment in the area.
The Mercer Community Band dramatically recreates the music of the golden age of the great concert bands of America, exactly as it would have sounded over 100 years ago under the baton of John Philip Sousa and Patrick S. Gilmore. The music folder melts away the age barrier. People of all walks of life belong to the band which encompasses an entire community of professionals, teachers, ministers, bankers, construction workers, business people, military and medical personnel, attorneys, retirees, high school and college students among others grace the stage of the bandstand.
The Mercer Community Band has become nationally acclaimed for its special theme concerts including "A Broadway Spectacular", "Red, White and Blue", "Echoes of the Past", "Hooray for Hollywood", "Big Band Sounds", among others. Its repertoire encompasses rousing marches, fiery overtures, gentle descriptive pieces, hymns, the operas of Rossini to Broadway hits and sing-a-longs.
In the summer of 1985, plans were begun for the construction of an open air bandstand. In April of 1987 a ground-breaking ceremony took place on the courthouse square. Hundreds of citizens, service groups and businesses donated money, materials and labor to this project. On June 20, 1987 the dedication of the Mercer Bandstand as a permanent stage for the Mercer Community Band and other groups took place on the courthouse lawn
In 2007, the Mercer Community Band celebrated its thirtieth anniversary with a special concert and banquet.
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For thirty-one years, Mercer has supported the summer band concerts by the Mercer Community Band. During the early years the band concerts were held the last two Fridays in June, with the band consisting of about 20 members. Currently, the band numbers over 90 musicians coming from the tri-county area and eastern Ohio and performs weekly Friday night concerts in June and July. Local service and civic groups sponsor ice cream socials and the warm-up groups. Without a doubt, it is the best free summer entertainment in the area.
