20040715 Heavy Metal Garage Band in Westminster finds Home

Heavy Metal Garage Band in Westminster finds Home

(c) July 15th, 2004 (Long Version) by Westminster Mayor Kevin Dayhoff

The City of Westminster has recently had go-round with a homeless heavy metal garage band that has been making quite a racket. It seems that this band has attracted all sorts of attention with a lot of banging, pounding, and other sorts of new age type, grunge band, discordant and percussive sounds and other theatrics.

Rowdy “Bands” are nothing new to Westminster and they have had an interesting history in our community. On October 4, 1926, a concerned citizen presented facts concerning the "routy" behavior of students who were "marching in a body with a drum, making loud noises, disturbing the peace and obstructing traffic.” Two of the “band members” involved were arrested and taken to jail, but were released by the police justice without penalty. The Westminster Common Council ordered police officials to put a stop to such behavior on the streets and make arrest of all offenders in the future.[1]

Westminster has a history and tradition as a cultural and artistic regional center as well as a mercantile center for commerce for industry, law and government. Private – public partnerships has been the foundation of many improvements in Westminster. Certainly there must be something that we can do as a community to help this band out and give it something productive to do besides making all this noise.

Westminster was founded in 1764 by William Winchester, on property called “White’s Level” that he had purchased in 1754 at the age of 37. He called it “Winchester”. Up until an act of the Maryland General Assembly in 1768, Westminster was named “Winchester”. The layout of the town was recorded on August 31st, 1768. “White’s Level was shrewd purchase as it was located along the road west as were many other towns, at 10 mile intervals along the road.

Back in those days, 10 miles was approximately the distance that a horse and wagon could travel in a day. In the early days of Westminster’s Main Street was lined with many hotels for travelers to stay and have a meal on their travels. No doubt there was entertainment provided for the guests by way of singing, various musical instruments or traveling troubadours. There were also many taverns and saloons in town. Entertainment in Carroll County had its critics. In an anonymous travel account from 1854 it was noted that the travelers “found the poorest entertainment which they had met.”

Various forms of “entertainment” were made illegal on June 20, 1839, by the city fathers including, disturbing the peace by shouting, malicious ringing of doorbells or throwing stones against any door, fence, or gate. The fines ranged from $1.00 to $5.00. On July of 1840 a town law was passed that it was unlawful to "fly kites" on Main Street. Violators were fined not less than 25 cents nor more than $1.00 for each offense. An 1842 ordinance was enacted to make "cock-fighting" unlawful where violators paid $20.00 for the first offense and $25.00 for their second offense. Then their first fine would be doubled for every other offense. On November 12, 1857, a Westminster Police Officer (then known as “Bailiffs”), by the name of Mr. James Keefer lost his job for his neglect in complying with ordinance number (9), which related to the fast driving of "buggies".

In the mid 1800s there were as many as seven hotels in Westminster among the 40 or so businesses that lined Main Street. Art and culture was important. Several circuses would visit yearly on Fairground Hill and public gatherings were a regular event at the other end of town on “The Commons”, an area now known as McDaniel College.

In 1858 The Odd Fellow’s Hall, at 140 East Main Street was dedicated. In 1863 the Westminster Library was located in the Odd Fellow’s Hall and open to the public every Friday. Frederick Douglass delivered an address there in October 1870 and many Western Maryland College functions were held in the Odd Fellow’s Hall.[2]

Not everyone liked the entertainment provided at the Odd Fellow’s Hall. According to Chris Week’s “The Building of Westminster”, during the Civil War there a show there featuring derogatory impressions of Lincoln, Grant and other national leaders. The next day morning, the decapitated body of the entertainer was found in a rear stable.[3] Even 150 years ago, Carroll Countians took entertainment and politics seriously.

Between 1857 and 1952 there were 40 bands incorporated in Carroll County. Records of the Westminster Municipal Band go back as far as the 1860s.

In 1893 it was incorporated as the “Westminster City Band”. According to Sandy Miller, the Director of the Westminster Municipal Band, “the band is now officially celebrating 111 years of sharing music in Carroll County and the surrounding tri-state area”. Band Director Miller was very helpful in filling me in on the rich history of the Westminster Municipal Band – for it seems our “Garage Band” is the Westminster Municipal Band.

The band has undergone many changes throughout its 111 years. The uniforms have changed color, from tan to Green and Gold. The name also changed in 1950 when the band reorganized as the “Westminster Municipal Band” and the City of Westminster pledged financial support to the group. The Color Guard was formed in 1961 and really sets our band apart from the other bands.[4]

From the beginning, the band has been a totally volunteer organization. Those who participate are involved because of their love of music and the opportunity to share that love with the community. Members range in age from 14 – 80 and there are no auditions or membership fees.

A big part of the band’s success is that it functions as a family. The group literally has many members of the same families as members of the band. Other family members attend band functions as our “groupies.”

The Westminster Municipal Band regularly participates in local Firemen’s parades; Memorial Day and July 4th celebrations in and around the Carroll County area. The highlight of the Band’s playing season is the yearly trek in June to Ocean City for the Maryland State Firemen’s Association Convention. As the “Official Band of the MSFA”, the band leads the parade each year down Baltimore Street.

One big part of the band’s success is the relationship we have built with the City of Westminster which has provided some financial support to the band since the 1950’s while the Band provides musical assistance and entertainment at many City events.

The Band and the Westminster Fire Company have a long history together as well, with many Fire Company members in the Band and the Color Guard. In the early part of the 20th century, and again near the end of the century, the band met for their weekly rehearsals at the Westminster Fire Hall located on Main Street.

In 1998, after the Fire Company moved to its new building on John Street, the Band was again looking for a new home. That search ended, again, with the help of the Westminster Volunteer Fire Company. The Fire Company was in possession of the old Plumbing, Heating Supply Co building on John Street, and wasn’t using the space. An agreement was reached and the band moved to 40 John Street in January, 2001.

In the spirit of the many private – public partnerships that have made Westminster successful, The Westminster Municipal Band, The Westminster Fire Department and the City of Westminster have joined forces to give the Band a long term home.

In the spring of 2003, the Fire Company demolished the back portion of the building, but left the area the band rented standing. It was decided that the Band, working with the City and Fire Company, could renovate the existing storefront to better accommodate the band’s needs. Members of the Band, Fire Company and the City have provided much of the labor, while the City has worked to provide a portion of the funds needed by way of a downtown rehabilitation grant fund.

While much work is still needed to finish, big changes have already happened. A garage is being added outside to house the band’s equipment truck. New water lines had to be run into the building and two new restrooms roughed-in. Electrical, plumbing and HVAC is also needed as well as drywall work. Finish work will include painting, flooring and placing ceiling tiles.

So yes, all the pounding and banging and carryings–on going on John Street is the Westminster Municipal Band branching out and exploring the art of not being a heavy metal garage grunge band – but rather a performing troupe bringing themselves up from their own bootstraps and rolling up their sleeves and making themselves a long term home.

Won’t you please give the band a helping hand. We’d hate for them to be homeless and end up marching around town aimlessly with a drum, making loud noises, disturbing the peace and obstructing traffic and getting arrested. We want them to practice so they won’t suffer the fates of critics. The renovations will enable the Westminster Municipal Band to have a place to call home for a very long time. And if you hear anyone complaining about all that pounding and banging in town – tell them to go fly a kite.

The band is looking for donations to help make up the difference in costs. If you are able to donate, please contact band President Greg Wantz at 410-848-8852; c/o Westminster Municipal Band, PO Box 11, Westminster, MD 21158; or president@westminsterband.com.

The Band thanks the Mayor and City Council of Westminster and the membership of the Fire Company for all of their time, energy and efforts to get this project off the ground and to see this project through to completion.

If you are interested in becoming a member of the band, please contact Director Sandy Miller at 410-857-0344 or e-mail director@westminsterband.com.

History of Westminster Police Department obtained from the Westminster Police Department Website

[1] Abstracted from a History of the Westminster Police Department taken off the Westminster Police Website on August 7, 2000.

[2] “Carroll County Maryland – A History 1837-1976”, Nancy M. Warner, Carroll County Bicentennial Committee 1976

[3] "The Building of Westminster in Maryland", Christopher Weeks, Fishergate Publishing Company, Inc. Annapolis, MD 1978

[4] “Westminster Municipal Band” By Westminster Municipal Band Director Sandy Miller, July 12th, 2004

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(c) Kevin Dayhoff