Friday morning, July 31, Vintage Band Festival will present a multi-media program titled “Music and Democracy: Living History in America” in Northfield’s Central Park. The United States is 250 years old and the music of the nation has changed often during those years. The program will chronicle highlights of those historical and musical eras. It will include spoken word actors including Theodore Roosevelt, reenactor brass bands in period dress, a Dakota drum group and singers and a folksinging duo.
Other concurrent activities during the event include food and drink vendors, non-profit organizations tabling to educate, inform and recruit visitors, a face-painting and make-your-own art booth and an all-ages bicycle parade around the park.
This is a free and family-friendly event. Children who wish to participate in the bicycle parade are invited to decorate their bikes prior to the event. Decorating supplies will be provided.
For a limited time, Vintage Band Festival 20th anniversary clothing items will be available for pre-order. Orders will be held for pickup onsite at the Festival July 30 – August 2 or shipped to customers (with added shipping charge) on August 3 following the conclusion of the Festival.
Items include short and long sleeve t-shirts, crew and hoodie sweatshirts, a polo shirt and a baseball cap. The t-shirt and ball cap will also be available for purchase during the Festival. The online t-shirt price of $20 is aa special pricing offer for the pre-order period only.
The pre-order online store will close at 11:59:59pm on Monday, July 6.
**Be sure to use the size chart when selecting sizes as there are no refunds or exchanges with pre-ordered merchandise. Customers are encouraged to contact Larson’s Printing, Vintage Band Festival’s local partner, with questions before ordering if necessary.
There is festival within a festival at Vintage Band Festival 2026. The nested festival is sponsored by the Historic Brass Society and is their Early Brass Festival Conference.
July 31-August 2, 2026
Northfield, Minnesota
Scott Muntefering, EBF Conference Host
Paul Niemisto, Local Host
Sandy Coffin, HBS Event Coordinator
Paper presentations related to any aspect of early brass or brass bands – including but not limited to band history, pedagogy, repertoire, performance practice, and biographical/historical information.
EBF Sessions will be in the beautiful 19th Century Northfield Train Depot.
Imnizaska Drum Group is a vibrant, intertribal drum collective deeply rooted in cultural preservation and education. They not only perform at public events like powwows, festivals and the State Fair, but they’re also making an impact through school and community programs — teaching history, musical technique, and traditional values. Their efforts foster unity, intergenerational connection, and cultural awareness across Minnesota and beyond.
“Imnizaska” means “white bluffs” in the Dakota language and it refers to the bluffs along the banks of the Mississippi River in east St Paul. Wicahapi Regional Park is on the top of the bluffs and is an indigenous burial ground. The St. Paul neighborhood has been known as Dayton’s Bluff since the arrival of European immigrants in the 19th century and the park was previously known as Indian Mounds Regional Park.
Imnizaska Drum Group will sing at the Living History through American Music program in Northfield’s Central Park on Friday morning, July 31 during Vintage Band Festival 2026.
The Finnish American brass bandAmeriikan Poijat (Boys of America) has scheduled a series of concerts in southern Minnesota this summer. The Finnish ethnic brass band will visit Randolph, Nerstrand, Northfield, Owatonna, and New Prague during the last week of July. Two of their performances will be in Northfield during VBF 2026.
Poijat, with players based in Minnesota, has traveled widely, with performances is most Midwestern states, Pennsylvania, Colorado, Massachusetts, Canada, and Finland. Poijat’s 2026 program will consist of a mixture of concert pieces and old-time dance music, and American music observing the 250th Anniversary.
Ameriikan Poijat was founded in 1990 by Dr. Paul Niemisto. The band has played performances in some rather unusual settings, such as in an ice arena, in fishing boats on the Finnish Perhojoki river, on a raft in an abandoned mine, at Finnish border defense installations, at a McDonnell-Douglas military aircraft plant, in a Wisconsin cow pasture, on a Florida beach, at an instrument museum, in a barn, and in a one room schoolhouse. It’s not that they have exclusively sought out bizarre venues, but a seven-piece group is very mobile, and the Finnish brass music they celebrate seems to have drawn them off the beaten path at times.
Poijat’s members are all Minnesota residents and some are of Finnish descent. They have been sharing the charm of the old Finnish brass band music and have also performed the newer compositions for septet that have proliferated recently. Their main inspiration has been from brass playing colleagues and friends in Finland who have also been keeping the tradition alive and generously sharing their experience with us about this music. The Finnish brass septet repertoire is meaningful ethnic art and has an inherent musicality that is attractive to many listeners.
Ameriikan Poijat will perform on the Bridge Square Stage in Northfield on Friday, July 31 at 2:00pm and at Tanzenwald Brewing in Northfield at 5:00pm. For the rest of the Poijat tour schedule, visit https://ameriikanpoijat.org/.
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!
