School music success

This past Saturday was a banner day for Van Wert High School.  Many read the sports page of the newspaper and saw that the Cougars won a thriller basketball game over the Celina Bulldogs Saturday night.  Congratulations to Coach Froelich and the Cougar basketball team and we wish them good luck at Regionals this week.

But, before the thriller in Ada, the Van Wert High School Bands and Choir posted outstanding performances on Friday night and Saturday afternoon.  It was a clean sweep for these student music ensembles as Concert Choir, Concert Band and Symphonic Band all three earned superior “I” ratings at District Competition.  Three judges rate each performance and all three gave a “I” rating. Mrs. Gamble, Miss Kelly, and Mr. Sloan should be commended, as should the students who make up these ensembles.  And with this year’s crazy weather playing havoc on school schedules, it is even more impressive. They will now compete at the state level later this spring.  Good luck to all three groups!

It should be mentioned that choirs and bands from all three Van Wert County Schools participated as well as other schools in our area.  Going to contest gives performing ensembles focus and musical goals to achieve and makes better musicians of the students.  There is great discipline to gain by the attempt, just as there is on the basketball court.  So, congratulations to all those who took on the challenge.

We are now halfway through the month of March.  I am still accepting names of organizations interested in being considered for serving food at one of the Fountain Park Summer concerts.  Currently, there are 18 on the list to be considered for 8 concerts.  The only stipulation is that you must be a non-profit organization and have the ability to serve large numbers of people.

This will be the 10th anniversary of the Fountain Park Summer Music Series.  Believe it or not, we got this started in 2002. Little did I or anyone on the board of The Van Wert County Foundation realize what a popular event this would become for the people of the Van Wert area. Through the gift of music, the Saltzgaber Music Fund has been able to help many worthy community organizations earn thousands of dollars and the concerts have provided thousands of people with wholesome family entertainment throughout the summer.

The new summer line-up for our 10th season will be announced soon.  So, keep a lookout for the release.  Some favorites from the past will be returning, along with some brand new entertainers, to Fountain Park.

Since 2002, we have had over 70 free performances in Fountain Park.  And then spring boarding from these concerts has been the concerts at the Niswonger Performing Arts Center starting in 2007. A whole new season is in the planning stages and an exciting Community Concert line-up will be announced on April 19, followed by the Grand Series for 2011-12.  This is a very busy time, as we try to nail down concerts for the next 14 months.  When the work is finished, we will make announcements and everyone can plan accordingly. Just know that there will be some spectacular entertainment coming to Fountain Park and the NPAC again.

In the meantime, don’t miss out on Club Swing this Friday night at the NPAC, followed by Pirates of Penzance the next Friday night as we look to finish the season strong!

FINÉ.