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MARION - For better than 60 years the United States Army Field Band has entertained from Miami to Minneapolis and Saigon to San Juan. They will present a concert here on the stage of the Palace Theatre 1 p.m. Sunday, June 22. All persons must be in their seats by 12:45 p.m.
The band, which tours certain sections of the world each year was not scheduled to be in Ohio this season, but learned Marion could be on their way from Point A to Point B and agreed for a stop, said Glen Coble, marketing manager for Marion Community Credit Union, which is the primary sponsor for the concert.
Coble said he has been working on the project to get the band to Marion for more than a year, adding the local community was passed over in October 2007. Coble, a former member of the band during the Vietnam War, said he had responsibility of being the sound engineer and booking advance man for the band, which gave him insight to bring the band to Marion.
"One of the things the credit union focused on this year is community and family," Coble said. "It seemed like a natural fit.
"It's family-oriented, a tribute to our country, and clean, wholesome fun. It seems to be natural for Marion. Lower and middle class families struggle to fund entertainment for their family. It's a wonderful opportunity for the community - especially the youth."
The Palace stage is slightly smaller than the field band requires, Coble noted, adding the Palace is pulling back its curtains and lifting the legs on both sides in order to accommodate the band of 65 and a mixed chorus of 29 members.
"That (concert) will be nice," added Elaine Merchant, executive director the Palace Theatre, a co-sponsor for the event. "It will be lovely to have them in our theater. It will be a huge concert. I hope people do take advantage of this."
Merchant also noted June 22 is a huge day not only for the Palace but the community as the Marion Township firefighters will also hold a
fund-raising event with Shania Twain on the Palace stage that evening.
"This is just going to be an exciting day for the Palace," Merchant said. Media sponsors for the concert at WDCM Community Radio and The Marion Star.
Coble said he helped create a folk music group of three high school musicians in 1962, which they called the Overland Singers. They were asked to audition for the United States Army Field Band as a featured act for the band.
"The Vietnam war was raging so the three of us were very interested in being a part of the national touring band of the Army stationed at Fort Meade, Md., just outside Washington D.C.," Coble said.
After auditioning they were informed the band would like for them to become a part of the band. The three were told to get their enlistment physicals which the other two passed and he failed due to an infection. In the summer of 1968, he took his second physical which he passed and was shipped to Fort Leonardwood, Mo., for basic training and then ordered to report to the Army Field Band upon completion of basic. His first "gig" he said was to march in the inaugural parade of President Richard Nixon in January 1969. He said he was a vocalist but was given a clarinet and told to pretend he was playing in order to fill out the ten by 10 ranks that band marches in.
He said his trio played before audiences with the Army Field Band from the deep south to Quito, Ecuador.
Coble said he wanted the folks of Marion to experience the Army Field Band and for youth of the community to be able to get a feel of the pride and patriotism members of the band have.
"I want to make Marion as proud of the community as I am," he said. "I've only been here three years. I want to be an instrument of making the youth of Marion proud of Marion."
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