Bill Reynolds, the leader of the Independent Silver Band, has an extremely colorful life, full of excitement and close brushes with fame. In the early days of his career, he and his wife Jeanne Gieszelmann Reynolds were the proprietors of the Reynolds Family Circus. Later they teamed up with other units to broaden their territory. Bill was the band leader and Jeanne was a performer in the ring.
Bill has also appeared as an extra in a number of Civil War movies: “Class of ’61”, “For honor and Glory”, “Tecumseh” and “Gettysburg.” He was Custer’s bugler in “Crazy Horse” and appeared in some documentaries for the National Park Service. The most recent movie appearance was “Letters Home” released in 2022.
We’re looking forward to seeing Bill and his band again at VBF 2026. There are bound to be more stories that we haven’t yet heard!
The musicians of Newberry’s Victorian Cornet Band are dedicated professional and semi-professional brass, reed, and percussion players whose performance is as close to that of a late 19th-century professional touring band as is possible today. Like bands from that era, the group ranges from six players to a full ensemble of 30. It usually tours with 17 reed, brass and percussion players.
The band only plays music that would have been heard between the end of the Civil War and the advent of the Sousa Band in 1892, primarily dance music. Concerts feature the most popular examples of polkas, waltzes, quicksteps, schottisches and mazurkas, as well as the march.
Playing old brass instruments is a chore and puts the contemporary musician at a disadvantage. Using an original mouthpiece adds an even higher road block. However, the Newberry group has overcome these obstacles with great skill and their use of original equipment certainly allows them to enter the Victorian sound-world with greater ability than most period brass ensembles.
The band is managed by Michael O’Connor and has appeared at Vintage Band Festival on six previous occasions. The band will perform at 6:00pm on Thursday, July 30 at the Grand Event Center in Northfield and on the Bridge Square Stage at 5:00pm on Friday. For the complete schedule of VBF 2026, visit vintagebandfestival.org/vbf-2026.
The Dodworth Saxhorn Band (DSB) from Ann Arbor, Michigan is America’s premier 19th century brass band, presenting performances in the context of the social and political issues of the time. The band is modeled after the Dodworth Band of New York City, which was the premier brass band in the United States from the 1840s to the 1880s. The modern DSB uses only brass and percussion instruments that were built in the 1800s to perform 19th century music–including compositions and arrangements from the Smithsonian Institute and the Library of Congress–and a few new arrangements by musicologists who are experts in 19th century brass band style and instrumentation. Past performances include Ken Burns’ PBS documentary “Baseball” and a subsequent performance for “An Afternoon of Baseball” at the White House at the invitation of President and First Lady Clinton. The DSB was also heard in Ken Burns’ series “Jazz” and “The Roosevelts.” The DSB appeared at Vintage Band Festival in 2006, 2010, 2013 and 2022.
The Dodworth Saxhorn Band will perform on the Bridge Square Stage at 3:00pm on Friday, July 31. They will give four additional performances throughout the weekend of VBF 2026. Check the schedules for Bridge Square, Central Park and Special Performances at VBF 2026.
Richard Collman, organist and longtime arts supporter in Northfield, has announced the 19th Annual Northfield Noontime Organ Recitals for 2026. On June 24, Catherine Rodland will present a program in Boe Chapel on the campus of St. Olaf College. On July 8, Nathan Proctor, music director at St. Johns Lutheran Church, will play a program at St. John’s. Finally on July 15, the students of the Lutheran Summer Music Academy will perform in Studio A, Christianson Music Hall on the St. Olaf campus. The concerts are free and all are welcome. A free-will offering will be available.
THIRD THURSDAYS STREET DANCE
For decades the Third Thursday of the month has been a time for Downtown Northfield retailers to offer bargains in their stores, extended hours, and special events in Bridge Square: pie-eating contests, root beer floats, and many other fun options. This year Third Thursday Downtown is a Street Dance.
The Friends of Downtown Northfield are excited to announce the return of the Third Thursday Street Dance. Come on down to Bridge Square and listen and dance to live music, enjoy food from local restaurants, and drinks from that month’s Fermentation Friend!
It’s free fun for the whole community! All are welcome!
Event Details:
Time – the event will run each month from 5pm – 8pm
Seating – Picnic tables and Red Chairs from Age Friendly will be available or you can bring your own down.
Location – The showmobile stage will be set up in Bridge Square in front of the Post Office.
Parking – Free Parking is available in the 5th & Water Street Parking Lot, 5th & Washington Parking Lot. Street parking is available on Division Street, 4th Street, and 5th Street.
Food – Many of the great local restaurants have special hours or deals during Third Thursday. There will also be a different food truck each month parked in front of the History Center. Follow our social media to see what specials are happening that month.
As we look back on 20 years of Vintage Band Festival awesomeness, we are having a blast reconnecting with the St. Olaf College students that assisted us in the planning and execution of each VBF from 2010 – 2019. Each festival paired two students with the board and volunteers to form a fantastic team dedicated to doing everything required to bring the music to the audience. In the summer of 2015 that pair was Rachel Gaul and Lauren Hahn. We haven’t been able to reach Lauren yet, but VBF secretary Joy Riggs recently caught up with Rachel and filed this report. Rachel is still in Minnesota 10 years after graduation!
Q: What year did you graduate from St. Olaf, and what was your major?
2016, Mathematics Major with Concentration in Management Studies
Q: What do you do now for work and for fun?
Work: I am an associate executive director with an association management company based in Minneapolis called Management HQ – we provide management services for nonprofit organizations around the world.
Fun: I enjoy spending time with my friends, trying new restaurants, going to concerts and local festivals, and exploring the outdoors with my dog, Walter.
Q: What are your favorite memories from the experience?
I enjoyed learning from the Board, planning logistics with all of the bands and vendors, and getting to hear all of the live music on the day of the festival.
Q: Is there something you learned as a VBF intern that has been useful for later in your life?
I learned a lot about balancing multiple priorities at once, event planning, and quick problem solving. These are all skills that have definitely come in handy throughout my career so far!
Q: Have you been back to a festival since you interned? If so, when?
I haven’t been able to yet, but hope to!
Q: Are you coming back for this year’s 20th anniversary (it’s July 30-Aug. 1)?
It’s on the calendar, and I’m hoping to make it down for a day!
Q: Any other updates you’d like to share?
Interning for the VBF was a great experience and really ignited my passion for nonprofit management. I’m grateful that I got to do it!
During the 1960s and 1970s Americans observed two milestones: from 1961-65 the centennial of the Civil War, and then in 1976, the bicentennial of the United States. Prior to that time, the historical reenactment movement was small and unknown. Civil War artifacts, such as brass band instruments, could be found at auctions and yard sales for very reasonable prices. With these two observations, history buffs began to get excited about reliving the experiences of the Civil War, including performing and listening to the music. If nothing else, the battle reenactors needed their drums and horns to be authentic. Today it is impossible to obtain any such artifacts for anything less than huge prices.
The American Midwest might be thought to be far away from this reenactment craze, but, in fact, the large number of volunteers from Minnesota, Michigan, Iowa, Wisconsin, and Illinois made the centennial observations and reenactments of great interest in the region.
Minnesotans re-formed a 19th century band called the Great Western Band during that decade. The original Great Western Band had originally been stationed at Fort Snelling and was the very first organized music ensemble in the region. Near the end of the 19th century, members of the Great Western Band joined string and wind players in Minneapolis and St. Paul to perform the first symphony orchestra music ever heard in the new state of Minnesota. The revival of the Great Western Band lasted a couple of decades and then folded.
Other revival bands in the Midwest often have developed around communities with larger universities where active historians and research facilities are to be found.
One of these is the Dodworth Saxhorn Band of Ann Arbor, Michigan. The original Dodworth Band was a famous group from New York City that also was the generator of important sheet music publishing and brass band training manuals. This band had a great effect on the development of other bands across the United States. Today’s Dodworth Saxhorn Band, formed in the 1980s, uses antique brass valved horns and drums built between 1840 and 1880. In 1838, Allen Dodworth, the leader of the original Dodworth Band, invented the first valved horn with a bell pointing backwards, for military use. They are called “over the shoulder” (OTC) saxhorns. When a band marched at the head of a column of soldiers, the “back’ard” bells made it easier for the music to be heard. Saxhorns (while invented by Adolphe Sax) have nothing to do with the saxophone. They are a family of conical bore instruments, of which the modern euphonium and tuba are the closest cousins.
The Dodworth Saxhorn Band has appeared at Vintage Band Festival in 2010, 2013, and 2022.
Another historical band in the midwest is the 1st Brigade Band from Watertown, Wisconsin. In 1864 eighteen men from the Brodhead Brass Band enlisted in the Union Army as the band of the 1st Brigade, 3d Division, 15th Army Corps. They left their rural Wisconsin homes to participate in the campaigns of Northern Georgia and the Carolinas under the command of General William T. Sherman. The legacy that these men established 150 years ago lives on today with the members of Wisconsin’s 1st Brigade Band. Dressed in natty navy blue Union uniforms, they are a visual spectacle as well as a treat to hear.
Starting in 1964, members of the 1st Brigade Band began to locate and restore dented and broken instruments from the 19th century and to retrieve and reconstruct the yellowed and torn music. They worked within a regional center of activity for scholars and musicians. Through their performances we can now hear what Presidents Lincoln and Davis, Generals Lee and Grant, and their contemporaries heard. More than eighty volunteers, men and women, make up the 1st Brigade Band talent pool. Widely varied in age and occupation, they come from many Wisconsin communities, bringing with them a common interest in their musical heritage. During a typical year, they will meet their audiences more than forty times, in concerts, parades, military balls, and worship services, presenting their educational and entertaining programs.
The 1st Brigade Band has appeared at Vintage Band Festival in 2006, 2010, 2013, and 2016, 2019, and 2022.
A third ensemble that relives music of the 19th Century is the Independent Silver Band(ISB) of Mount Vernon, Illinois. The ISB has a more localized history than the others. During 1884 to 1889 this Illinois community first enjoyed the music of its own Independent Silver Band. Composed of 10 local men, all of who attended the same church and Sunday school. The group provided its city and region with first class entertainment and boundless enjoyment. The unit played for balls, picnics, skating parties, political rallies and much more. Sadly, the demands of family and career dictated the all-too-quick demise of the esteemed musical group. In 1914, the members families and friends gathered together again in Mt. Vernon for a farewell concert, parade and grand reunion. Then, too quickly, the pages of history swept forward on the breeze, and the wondrous music gently wafted away.
In July 2004, the music of the Independent Silver Band came to life once more. William L. Reynolds, of Mt. Vernon, a music educator and long-time circus operator and musician, achieved a lifelong dream by assembling the new ISB. Reynolds believed that he could make available the opportunity for thousands of people to experience authentic American music of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. By bringing together interested brass players and percussionists from Mt. Vernon and surrounding cities and towns in southern Illinois Reynolds created the proper team of dedicated persons, all of whom shared his vision to give audiences the chance to hear the music of a bygone time.
The Independent Silver Band has appeared at Vintage Band Festival in 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019 and 2022.
–Paul Niemisto
The 1st Brigade Band, the Dodworth Saxhorn Band and the Independent Silver Band will all be in Northfield, Minnesota performing at Vintage Band Festival 2026 July 30 – August 2.
Salsa del Soulis a Twin Cities-based, nine-piece orchestra performing various styles of dance music from the Spanish-speaking regions of the Caribbean. Salsa del Soul was formed with the purpose to provide great dance music for Twin Cities Salsa fans. The musicians of Salsa del Soul represent some of the finest talents in the Twin Cities Latin music scene. The styles of music they perform include Son, Son Montuno, Plena, Cha-cha-cha, Bachata, Merengue, Timba, and, of course, Salsa! Salsa del Soul performs locally at restaurants and bars, jazz and Latin festivals, private engagements, and other locations and events.
Salsa del Soul has been making superb dance music around the Twin Cities and the Midwest region for more than a decade, providing top-notch talent delivered in the most professional fashion consistently and expeditiously — the fruits of which can be recognized in Salsa del Soul’s long list of clients and long-standing performance venues.
Salsa del Soul will be performing at 6:30 pm, Saturday, August 1 on Bridge Square at VBF 2026.
In 1864 eighteen men from the Brodhead Brass Band enlisted in the Union Army as the band of the 1st Brigade, 3d Division, 15th Army Corps. The “Tradition of Excellence” that these men established more than 130 years ago lives on today with the members of the 1st Brigade Band of Watertown, Wisconsin.
The band MAKES HISTORY LIVE by presenting period brass band music, performed on antique instruments. Attired in uniforms and gowns, the Band’s musicians, color guard, and costumed ladies take you back to the 1860’s; to that turbulent era known as the Civil War.
More than eighty volunteers, men and women, make up the 1st Brigade Band. Widely varied in age and occupation, they come from many communities, bringing with them a common interest in their musical heritage. During a typical year, they will meet their audience more than forty times, in concerts, parades, military balls, and worship services, presenting their educational and entertaining programs. Starting in 1964, band members began to locate and restore the dented and broken instruments that were once used on the battlefield and are now used in performances today.
The 1st Brigade Band is an affiliate of the Wisconsin Historical Society and is supported and sponsored by Heritage Military Music Foundation, Inc.; a non-profit, educational, historical, and patriotic organization.
The 1st Brigade Band will perform on the Bridge Square Stage at VBF 2026 on Saturday, August 1 at 3:00pm. Find their other performances that weekend at vintagebandfestival.org.
As mentioned in an earlier post, there were two Vintage Band Festival interns working alongside the VBF Board and volunteers in preparation and execution of each event between 2010 and 2019. In 2019 the two interns were Landry Forrest and Mickaylie Bade. Our intrepid secretary, Joy Riggs, recently caught up with Mickaylie, now Mickaylie Bade Boldenow and found out what she’s doing today and what she remembers about her VBF experiences.
What year did you graduate from St. Olaf, and what was your major/degree?
Class of 2020 – English major with concentrations in Management Studies and Gender Studies
What do you do now for work and for fun?
Work: I’m an Event Planner at St. Olaf College.
Fun: I love to try new things from new crafts to restaurants to outdoor activities and everything in between.
What are your favorite memories from the VBF experience?
I loved the puzzle aspect of my VBF internship, trying to figure out how to coordinate all of the bands and musicians and working with local businesses. However, my absolute favorite memory is standing in the information booth, answering questions, listening to fantastic music, and seeing all of my hard work unfold. It was incredible to see it all finally come together and be able to enjoy the great music with a great crowd of people.
Is there something you learned as a VBF intern that has been useful for later in your life?
I learned many technical skills from my internship, but primarily, I learned a lot about event planning and managing my workload. Many of skills I developed in this internship, I use daily in my current role as an event planner.
Have you been back to a festival since you interned? If so, when?
I’ve returned a couple times since my internship. I believe the years were 2022 and 2025.
Are you coming back for this year’s 20th anniversary?
The Doughboy Foundation was formed to make the National World War I Memorial a reality in Washington, D.C. The memorial was dedicated in 2021. Along the way, the foundation created The American Expeditionary Forces Headquarters Band and made it the official musical ensemble of the National World War I Memorial.
The AEF Headquarters Band recreates the music heard during 1918-1919 at the AEF HQ in Chaumont France with the familiar melodies like Over There, Pack Up Your Troubles In Your Old Kit Bag, Keep The Home Fires Burning, K-K-K-Katy, Alexander’s Ragtime Band, It’s a Long Way To Tipperary and the always-popular marches by John Philip Sousa. The band also performs music written by African American composers James Reese Europe, W.C. Handy, and Eubie Blake. The band wears reproductions of the Doughboy uniforms worn by musicians of the time with the insignia of the AEF HQ on their left shoulder.
The ensemble has become synonymous with honoring the legacy of the Great War, performing renditions of the national anthem and “God Bless America” at major sporting events and ceremonies of national significance. Their repertoire, which seamlessly blends reverence with musical brilliance, serves as a poignant reminder of the enduring legacy of those who served during World War One.
Vintage Band Festival is excited to present the AEF Headquarters Band at VBF 2026. We are honored that they accepted our invitation to travel to Minnesota to help us celebrate our 20th anniversary year and honor the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States of America. The band will perform several times during the festival. Find the complete festival schedule at vintagebandfestival.org/VBF2026.
