All concerts start at 7:30 p.m, and there is no admission charge, courtesy of the City of Fort Dodge.

Everyone attending is reminded to bring lawn chairs or blankets, since no public seating is available. Ice cream and brownies will be provided by the Southeast Valley Fine Arts Boosters for a freewill donation to assist their school’s Fine Arts students.

“With the ice cream, the variety of music and the quality of the band, it’s a wonderful night of entertainment,” said Dan Cassady, the director of the band.

“It’s a beautiful setting,” he added. “The bandshell is acoustically perfect and reflects the sound out to the audience.”

On June 7, the band will open its season with a varied program of music as the group prepares to “Strike up the Band” for its 126th season. Marches are on the program, including two by Fort Dodge’s own Karl King, one by Fred Jewell, and a grand Italian march, “Florentiner,” by Julius Fucik. The music of Karl King will continue with Harry Alford’s arrangement using snippets from several King compositions, titled “Melody ala King.”

Featured soloist will be Lacey Larson on French horn, a recent graduate of both Fort Dodge Senior High (2025) and Iowa Central Community College (2026). She will be performing the 3rd movement from “Rondo for Horn from Concerto No. 1, op. 11”, by Richard Strauss.

On June 14, will be the band’s annual Flag Day concert. Cassady will be gone that evening teaching at the Reggie Schive Summer Jazz Camp at Iowa Lakes Community College in Estherville.

In his absence, the King Band will feature two guest conductors that evening. Tim Miller, retired band director from the Humboldt High School and Middle School, will be on the podium, along with Paul Bloomquist from Iowa Central Community College. The musical selections have not been announced as yet. More details will follow.

On June 21, the band showcases a special Father’s Day concert to honor all the dads in attendance. Several marches by Karl King and Henry Fillmore are on the program, along with America’s national hymn, “God of Our Fathers.” There will be a narrated tribute to back up the marches of John Philip Sousa with “A Sousa Portrait.”

In keeping with the evening’s celebration will be “Festive Dance from ‘Faust'” by French composer Charles Gounod.

June 28 will find the band saluting the music of Broadway among other special treats. Marches by King, Fillmore, Sousa, and Frank Piersol, former Iowa State and Iowa director of bands, are on the program.

Composer Richard Rogers’ birth on June 28, 1902, will be celebrated with his “Symphonic Marches,” including “Valiant Years,” “March of the Siamese Children” from The King and I, “Cinderella March,” “The Great Adventure,” and “Guadalcanal March” from Victory at Sea. “Opening Night on Broadway” will feature music written for some of the newer musicals, such as “The Producers,” “Avenue Q,” “Spamalot,” “Wicked” and “The Lion King.” “The Producers” was written by Mel Brooks, who turns 100 years old on June 28.

The concert performed closest to July 4 has always been full of patriotic music, and this year’s performance will be even more special because of the 250th anniversary of the United States, according to Cassady.

He said the evening’s song list will include American favorites like “Stars and Stripes Forever,” “America the Beautiful,” and “Battle Hymn of the Republic.” It will also feature two pieces by John Williams, the prolific composer of movie music. The band will perform “Hymn to the Fallen,” from the film “Saving Private Ryan,” and the “Midway March” from the 1976 movie “Midway.”

The July 12 concert will feature Miller on trumpet in “Carnival of Venice.” Cassady said the birthday of composer Oscar Hammerstein will be celebrated during that concert with a performance of his best-known songs from “The Sound of Music.”

Roger and Shari Netz, of Manson, will sing during the July 19 concert and Jive for Five! will play with the band during the July 26 concert that will wrap up the summer season.