20040712 Westminster Municipal Band History by Sandy Miller

Westminster Municipal Band History

By Westminster Municipal Band Director Sandy Miller

July 12th, 2004

Incorporated in 1893 as the “Westminster City Band”, the band is now officially celebrating 111 years of sharing music in Carroll County and the surrounding tri-state area, but there are records of a Westminster Band dating back as far as 1860.

In 1916, many members of the band went into the Maryland National Guard under the heading "First Regimental Band of Maryland National Guard" and were sent to the Mexican Border. Then in 1918, the band went to France for WWI. After the war, those returning members and those who remained behind reformed the band into the "Westminster Band".

The band has undergone many changes throughout its 111 years. In the early part of the 1900’s the uniforms were tan but then the 1950’s saw the colors changed to our trademark Green & Gold. Another name change also happened in 1950 when the band reorganized under the name of the “Westminster Municipal Band” and the City of Westminster pledged some financial support to our group.

The Color Guard was formed in 1961 and this group sets us apart from the rest of the crowd when the band is marching down the street. A very significant change occurred in 1984 when women were granted membership to the band.

From the beginning, the band has been a totally volunteer organization. No one in the band is monetarily compensated to participate. Those that do participate are involved because of the love of playing music and sharing that gift with the community.

While many members live in the Westminster area, there is quite a few that travel some distance to participate in the activities of the band. Members travel from Baltimore County, Harford County, Howard County, Frederick County, York and Adams County, Pennsylvania and even from as far away as Connecticut and Minnesota. This organization makes members for life!! Members of the band 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 families as members of the band – fathers & sons; fathers & daughters; husbands & wives; brothers & sisters; mothers & sons – there are many combinations of familial relationships found in the band. But even more importantly, any person who expresses an interest to become a part of this organization is immediately an integral part of the total band family.

A strong support system of the band is the family members who do not actively participate as a uniformed member, but attend all of the band’s functions by sitting in the “groupie” section of the crowd.

The Westminster Municipal Band works very hard in the community to provide instrumental music entertainment for men, women and children of all ages. The band regularly participates in many of the local Firemen’s parades; Memorial Day celebrations in Westminster & Taneytown; July 4th festivities in Kingsville, Catonsville and Havre de Grace; and concerts in and around the Carroll County area.

The band has traveled in the Tri-State area of Maryland, Delaware and Pennsylvania participating in many large well attended parades for various events. The highlight of the Westminster Municipal Band’s playing season is the yearly trek in June to Ocean City where the band participates in the Convention activities for the Maryland State Firemen’s Association. Highly touted and proclaimed the “Official Band of the MSFA”, the band leads the giant parade each year down Baltimore Street.

Another part of the band’s success is the relationships we have built with the City of Westminster and the Westminster Volunteer Fire Company. As stated above, the City of Westminster has provided some financial support to the band since the 1950’s.

The Band and the City have worked hand-in-hand on many projects throughout the years i.e. the Christmas Tree Lighting held every year, the Westminster Christmas House Tours, and other events scheduled by the City where the Band could provide musical assistance and entertainment. The Band and the Westminster Fire Company have a long history together as well.

In the early part of the century, the band met for their weekly rehearsals at the Westminster Fire Hall located on Main Street. Many members of the fire company participated in the band also. In the middle of the 20th century, the band moved to the second floor of the “Old Stone House” located on Liberty Street in downtown Westminster. It was a great home for the group, but after the sale of the Farmer’s Supply Co., the band negotiated renting the 3rd floor of the Westminster Fire Company for Monday night rehearsals and some storage space.

In 1998, the Westminster Fire Company moved to its new home on John Street and with the help of the City, the band was then able to move to the old Armory on Longwell Ave. While this space served the band well, as did the Fire Company space, the band was again on the third floor. Unfortunately, this made it difficult for some of the older members to attend rehearsals so the band began searching for a place to rehearse that was on ground level.

And 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. The Westminster Fire Company wasn’t using the space so members of the band approached the members of the Fire Company with a proposal to allow the Westminster Municipal Band to rent the showroom portion of the storefront. An agreement was reached and the band moved to 40 John Street in January, 2001.

In the spring of 2003, the Fire Company notified the band that demolition of the back portion of 40 John Street would be occurring but the area the band rented would be left standing. After much discussion with the City of Westminster and the Westminster Vol. Fire Co, 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 will provide much of the labor, while the City is working to provide a portion of the funds to make this happen.

Work has begun and much work is still needed to get to the finished product. As a non-profit organization, the band’s funds are tied up in the day-to-day expenses and operations of the group. The band does charge fees for the concerts and parades it participates in, but the money is turned around to pay for rents (rehearsal and garage space), electricity, insurances, instruments and instrument repairs, music, uniforms, office expenses, and truck expenses.

This project is a major renovation to the inside and outside of the building. On the outside, a garage is being added to the building to house the band’s equipment truck and because of the demolition, an interior wall is becoming an exterior wall.

Inside, the restrooms were lost in the demolition so 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. Work will be completed to update the current uniform storage area, equipment storage area, and the alcove leading to the garage. Finish work will include painting, flooring and placing ceiling tiles.

The renovations will enable the Westminster Municipal Band to have a place to call home for what we hope will be a very long time. While the City of Westminster is working to fund as much of this project as possible, the band is looking for sponsorships and donations to help make up the difference in costs. If you are able to give a donation to help us accomplish this goal, 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.

Members of the band, Westminster City officials and employees, and the Westminster Vol. Fire Company have already given a lot of time and energy to get this project off of the ground. The band thanks the Mayor and City Council of Westminster and the membership of the Fire Company for all of their time and efforts as we work to see this project through to completion.

The band provides a very valuable service to the community. We give our friends and neighbors the chance to share their love of the musical arts by participating in a concert and parade band setting. 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.

####

20040706 McDaniel College and Westminster Good Partners for Over 137 Years

McDaniel College and Westminster – Good Partners for Over 137 Years

The long version of my Westminster Advocate column for July 6th, 2004
by Kevin Dayhoff, Westminster Mayor (1,262 words)

Some time ago, about 4 o’clock in the afternoon, approximately 90 campers dashed down College Hill and headed east on Main Street.

Several friends joined them, over at Westminster Mayor Michael Baughman’s shop, as they galloped through Westminster, across the railroad tracks, charging to the other end of town - only soon to be seen, retreating back through town shortly later.

In the ensuing melee that followed, the Carroll County State’s Attorney, C. W. Webster, was among several local prominent citizens that were captured and released the next day.

This experience on June 29th, 1863 perhaps marked the first foray into Westminster from our good neighbors on The Hill, McDaniel College.

Of course, over time the event has been called “The Battle of Westminster” or otherwise known as: “Corbit’s Charge”. With some help from my friend and historian, Tom LeGore, perhaps I need to tell the rest of the story.

It’s a good story about a partnership that has been enormously beneficial to everyone in Westminster and McDaniel College for over 137 years. A relationship that got off to an exciting start and continues to be exciting many years later.

Around 12 noon, on June 28th, 1863, The First Delaware Calvary arrived in Westminster where they were immediately directed to the highest elevation in and around Westminster - a hill just outside the western end of Westminster, known then as “The Commons”.

The Commons was a 12 acre patch of land which had a commanding view of Westminster’s Main Street, and all the roads which led to New Windsor, Taneytown, Uniontown and Gettysburg.

The 1860s were an exciting time for Westminster, then a small rural farming community of approximately 1,900 residents and about 40 businesses.

The 1860s saw the Western Maryland Railroad come to town June 15th, 1961 when the railway line from Owings Mills was completed to Westminster.

According to “Carroll County Maryland – A History 1837-1976” by Nancy Warner; F. R. Buell, who later founded McDaniel College (then known as Western Maryland College) in 1866, opened the “Westminster Male and Female School” in April 1860.

The first library in the County, the Westminster Library, was incorporated in September 1863 and was open to the public every Friday afternoon at the Odd Fellow’s Hall and several circuses visited town at Fairground Hill – “charging the “huge” sum of 50 cents for adults and 25 cents for children…”.

In the 1860s, The Commons or “Old Common” as it is referred to in “The Formative Years” written in 1982 by Samuel Biggs Schofield and Marjorie Cowls Crain; commanded – as it does today, a logistical presence over the local community. It looms on the horizon from most any vantage point in Westminster.

According to “The Formative Years” which referred to James W. Reese’s history of the college: it was the west end playground of Westminster. Political meetings were held on The Hill, as were the Annual Independence Day Ceremonies.

It is also where the great questions of the day such as preservation of the union, free trade, protective tariffs and internal infrastructure improvements in the community, were discussed by local citizens eager to learn more about their responsibilities as the local community and the nation grew.

It is only fitting that Western Maryland College was founded on The Commons in 1866 by Fayette Buell. On May 1st, 1866 Fayette Buell received a deed for eight acres of The Commons” from Edward and Margaret Lynch and William and Matilda Miller for $4,580.00. Over 137 years later, the College on the Hill still commands a inspiring presence, teaching and debating the great questions of the day.

According to a short history posted on McDaniel College’s web site in October 2002: as with many new ventures, financing was slow to materialize, but Fayette Buell did receive generous financial support from several of Westminster’s community leaders including: Isaac Baile; the Reverend James T. Ward, of the Methodist Protestant Church, who would become the College’s first president; and John Smith, president of the thriving Western Maryland Railroad and a resident of nearby Wakefield Valley, who became the first president of the College’s Board of Trustees.

The College was named after the Western Maryland Railroad, perhaps at the suggestion of one of its benefactors, John Smith. This was the first of many collaborations between Westminster’s community leadership and the College on the Hill.

Westminster Mayor Michael Baughman later became a member of the Western Maryland College Board of Trustees.

“The Formative Years” reports that the first foundation stone of “Old Main”, the first building on campus, was laid on August 27, 1866. Upon its completion, “Old Main” joined other prominent buildings in town such as the Odd Fellow’s Hall, built in 1854 in the middle of town at 140 East Main Street and the Carroll County Courthouse, built in 1838, which formed the bookend to the college at the other end of town.

On June 29th, 1863, approximately 100 soldiers of the First Delaware Calvary were camped at the Commons on the Hill. 90 of those soldiers engaged General J. E. B. Stuart’s Confederate Calvary totaling over 6,000 men, in Corbit’s Charge, and changed the course of history.

Today, compared to the 17,000 citizens of the city of Westminster, McDaniel College’s 400 employees and 2,700 undergraduate and graduate students continue to change the course of history with about the same odds.

Now, in 2004, students, employees and faculty are usually the ones galloping down the Hill and the charging is done with a credit card. The employment exchange works in both up and down the Hill, as the college is an excellent employer, with close to 400 employees and a payroll of over $24 million per year.

In a presentation by Dr. Ethan Seidel on March 7, 2002, concerning the economic impact of McDaniel College on Carroll County, he estimated that students at McDaniel College spend over $4 million a year on and off campus. Dr. Seidel further elaborated that it is estimated that McDaniel attracts over 100,000 visitors per year to Westminster, many who come to attend the Raven’s summer camp during August.

These visitors are estimated to pump over $1 million into the local economy. In the last decade, McDaniel College has spent approximately $5 million a year in capital improvements.

In addition to McDaniel College’s contribution to the economic vitality of the City of Westminster, the College provides a pool of students for employment and as interns for many businesses and governments.

The students, faculty and staff venture off the hill regularly, providing expertise to businesses, non-profit organizations and to government boards and commissions. Their volunteer time has added greatly to the quality of life for the residents of Westminster and Carroll County.

Many members of the community regularly retreat up to the College on The Hill, for educational and cultural activities, such as Common Ground on the Hill, Theater on the Hill, and an on-going program of concerts, speakers and of course, college classes.

This cultural contribution adds greatly to the soul and quality of life we know as the City of Westminster.

So, by now I hope you understand how important the charging and retreating is to the City of Westminster,

So by now I hope you understand how much we approve of today’s charging and retreating by campers on The Hill, - however; please bear in mind we still don’t approve of any “catch and release” of the Carroll County State’s Attorney.

© Kevin Dayhoff, Westminster Mayor

20040605 President George W. Bush Remarks on the Passing of Reagan

Remarks by the President Upon the Death of President Ronald Reagan
Ambassador's Residence
Paris, France

For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
June 5, 2004

12:41 A.M. (Local)

THE PRESIDENT: This is a sad hour in the life of America. A great American life has come to an end. I have just spoken to Nancy Reagan. On behalf of our whole nation, Laura and I offered her and the Reagan family our prayers and our condolences.

Ronald Reagan won America's respect with his greatness, and won its love with his goodness. He had the confidence that comes with conviction, the strength that comes with character, the grace that comes with humility, and the humor that comes with wisdom. He leaves behind a nation he restored and a world he helped save.

During the years of President Reagan, America laid to rest an era of division and self-doubt. And because of his leadership, the world laid to rest an era of fear and tyranny. Now, in laying our leader to rest, we say thank you.

He always told us that for America, the best was yet to come. We comfort ourselves in the knowledge that this is true for him, too. His work is done, and now a shining city awaits him. May God bless Ronald Reagan.

END 12:43 A.M. (Local)