Author Archives: Dan Bergeson

Spring 2015 Report from Vintage Band Festival

Great news since the fall 2014 report was sent out:

  • The VBF received a First Place Award, Non-Profits, for our presence in the 2014 Defeat of Jesse James Parade last September! We had the Bridge Square Band riding on a hayrack and pulled by a tractor, following several WW II military vehicles carrying veterans. We expect to continue our participation in this event to honor veterans and provide brass band music.
  • It is with a sense of satisfaction that we report that with your help we have raised over 80% of the funds needed to pay off our debt from the 2013 four day festival. We expect to have our 2013 financial debt fully paid off by August 2015. In addition, the VBF produced a very enjoyable one-day mini festival in August 2014 on Bridge Square.
  • The VBF board researched and leased an excellent donor management program. “Kindful” is a terrific tool to help us do more efficient fund raising and data management. Donors now have access to their own donation data plus the program enables easier communication with our loyal supporters.

What we are doing in 2015:

  • Multiple grant applications have been made and more are in progress. These grants are for both our August 1, 2015 one-day festival and our 2016 four-day festival, July 28-31.
  • Board members who are available meet weekly to work on our funding and planning. The official board meetings are once per month with full attendance.
  • We are communicating with the City of Northfield to schedule the August 1 event, close down streets, set up the Northfield Rotary Club Showmobile (Wenger) and other matters, including insurance and permits.
  • The board negotiates with other non- profit organizations we share the square with during our festivals, including Riverwalk Market Fair and Northfield Downtown Development Corporation.
  • Committees are being developed and filled for the 2015 and 2016 festivals.
  • Bands continue to ask about our festivals and ask perform in them. Time is required to vet them.
  • Funding is being sought for new bands and for favorites as well as well as funds for general operations. This is primarily donations but also advertising dollars.
  • Looking for new partners to expand our audience and share the expenses and work load.
  • Small groups and individual board members are making personal visits to individuals, businesses, and non-profits for VBF targeted fundraising.

VBF auxiliary programs in 2015

The first was on April 12 at the Northfield Senior Center, recognizing the 150th Anniversary of the end of the Civil War and the assassination of President Lincoln. The St. Olaf Manitou Regimental Band accompanied a Civil War sing-a-long at 3 PM in the Senior Center Theater Room. Prior to the music St. Olaf Pastor Emeritus, Bruce Benson, shared Lincoln’s immortal words from the Second Inaugural Address. We partnered with the Northfield Senior Center and the Cannon Valley Civil War Round Table. The Northfield Senior Center and the Cannon Valley Civil War Round Table supported the expenses for this event. In period dress, Jan Stevens, the VBF President, introduced the performers. That same week Northfield’s Bridge Square Band (a VBF regular) played in Civil War dress for an April 14th Northfield Historical Society re-enactment of “Our American Cousin” to commemorate the anniversary of President Lincoln’s assassination at Ford’s Theatre.

This fall there will be three Vintage Band programs scheduled on September 28, October 26 and November 23 at 3:15 PM in the Northfield Retirement Center Community Chapel (which will also be broadcast to shut-ins.) The same day the programs will each be presented a second time at 7 PM at the Senior Center with dessert and coffee afterwards. The Northfield Senior Center is providing space, funding, publicity and refreshments for the programs. The VBF provides the programming. Our plan is to continue year-round programming on vintage band music with historical and social context.

While the 150th Anniversary of the Civil War is ended, we will continue to provide Civil War Music at the festivals. Brass Band Music from the WW I era as well as period Jazz and Swing will be added to our programming. The VBF Board has established a relationship with the 34th Infantry Division Band (the Red Bull Band) of the Minnesota National Guard based in Rosemount, MN. Various ensembles from the Red Bulls will be participating in our upcoming festivals, including jazz, historical, and show bands. We plan to add a special program honoring our military veterans at our mini-festivals as well as continuing our special performances at the Northfield Veterans’ Memorial and cemeteries in Northfield and Cannon Falls during our big festivals. Two Board Members are active in Minnesota Civil War Round Tables. This relationship is building a new audience for the VBF as the 150th Civil War Anniversary Activities are coming to an end.

Since WW I, military bands have not had a role during military action. Bands are used for troop ceremonies and public relations. These military bands are in danger of severe reduction nationally because of budget stresses, while public school music programs are also suffering reductions. The VBF works to provide our community with live music and recognize the institutions that create this music.

Partnering with other organizations in our community and our state is a great way to continue the joy and excitement of the Vintage Band Festivals all year around. We think this is a reasonable and practical way to continue and to expand this splendid festival. The VBF Board Members feel called to expand the impact and enjoyment of vintage band music. The combination of top quality live music, history and pageantry is thrilling and engaging!

Vintage Band Festival 2013 Report to Donors

November 22, 2013

2013 was the best Vintage Band Festival yet.  Bands from Sweden, Germany, Austria, Texas, Chicago, Maryland, Michigan, Texas, Wisconsin, and Minnesota converged on Northfield Minnesota for 5 days of intense brass wind music.   Artistic director Paul Niemisto designed the festival to showcase vintage brass music, and to highlight the best of contemporary brass music from New Orleans jazz to Chicago shout bands to professional European brass ensembles.  Bringing all these together in one place makes the Vintage Band Festival unique in North America.

VBF 2013 was exponentially larger than either of the previous festivals. 35 bands provided a combined total of 134 unique musical experiences. In 2010, concerts were staged in seven communities beyond Northfield.  For 2013 we added six more towns to make a total of 13: Faribault, New Ulm, Cannon Falls, Red Wing, Chatfield, New Prague, Minneapolis, Scandia, St. Peter, Owatonna, Nerstrand, Montgomery and Kasota.

Staffing for VBF 2013 followed a similar format to the previous two festivals, though more people were required due to the increase in the number of band, communities and events.  A platoon of volunteers run the festival, ably coordinated this year by our omni-competent St. Olaf College interns Mitch Evett and Ramsey Walker.  The VBF website was completely redesigned to give concert-goers far more information. The online event schedule was transformed into an interactive experience complete with a biography of each band, a photo of the band and a Google map showing directions to the concert location. An additional Google map displayed all of the concert locations and directions to each one. Free audio samplers of most of the bands were made available using the SoundCloud service.

FESTIVAL GROWTH         2006-2013

Budget                 Bands                    Events                  Attendance        Communities

2006         $38,000               20                           36                           9,000                    2

2010       $100,000              25                           91                           12,000                   8

2013       $170,000              35                           134                         15,000                   14

What’s Next for the Vintage Band Festival

Artistic growth has exceeded our administrative infrastructure and fundraising ability, which needs to grow to match our artistic reach.  We need to recruit board members with specific skills, add to our administrative structure, and pay off about $50,000 in accumulated debt from the three Vintage Band Festivals.  We feel we are at a not-unexpected place for a young festival. We believe we are at a not-unexpected place in our organizational life.  We have established a successful festival unique in North America, and now need to build additional organizational infrastructure to support it.  We believe the $170,000 we spent this year is a reasonable budget to put on a festival of this caliber, and we also believe we can raise that level of support for each festival going forward, given the dedicated audience we have built.

From now through 2014 we expect to

  • Recruit additional board members with specific skills in finance, administration, and fundraising.
  • Improve our communication with and outreach to friends and donors.
  • Establish an annual giving club – our very own “Band-aid” to support VBF in planning as well as in festival years.
  • Extinguish the approximately $50,000 in debt we have accumulated.

By 2015 and 2016 we expect to

  • Hire our first part time administrator to manage preparations for the festival.
  • Program and present the 4th, and best yet, Vintage Band Festival 2016.

What the Vintage Band Festival Needs from Our Friends

  1. Board members with specific skills in finance, administration, and fundraising.  If you would like to nominate someone or volunteer, please let us know.
  2. Friends who will consider holding part of our accumulated deficit as no-interest loans for a period of two years while we negotiate payments and increase our fundraising capacity.
  3. Dedicated supporters who will pledge an annual gift to the Vintage Band Festival so we have adequate planning funds in the off years.  We especially appreciate annual gifts of $100, $500, or even $1,000 which can help us build a reliable income.
  4. Gifts of any amount now so we can build up an advance reserve fund for the 2016 Vintage Band Festival.

Thank you for your past support of the Vintage Band Festival.  You, our friends and audience, are a vital part of the Vintage Band Festival experience.

Paul Niemisto, Artistic Director

Jan Stevens, President of the Board of Directors