The Merrill City Band is getting off to an early start this season. The group will perform for the groundbreaking ceremony for the new Northwoods Veterans Post on Saturday, May 19. Director Linda Becker notes, “It’s always a challenge to add a performance that’s not on the band’s regular schedule, but we were fortunate that over half of the members were available and instrumentation is good. We’ve always had such a great relationship with the veterans in our community and we are very pleased to be able to support them on Armed Services Day at their groundbreaking ceremony.”
The band will begin playing at about 1:30 p.m. under the tent at the new building site at the corner of Sixth and Johnson streets. The actual groundbreaking event begins at 2 p.m. Music will include a mixture of upbeat tunes, marches, and patriotic selections. Church Mutual’s employee choir, the CM Singers, will join the band during the ceremony on “God Bless America.” The vocal group, under the direction of Al Freiberg, will also be performing the National Anthem at the beginning and “The Blessing” at the close. The band will pay tribute to the various branches of the service with “Marches of the Armed Forces.”