Want to treat yourself to a modern twist on an event with historical cache?

Visit downtown Negaunee at 7:30 Wednesday evening to join in the old-fashioned fun of a Negaunee City Band concert.

In the summer, the band plays at Negaunee’s Outdoor Performing Arts Center at the east end of Iron Street. The center is located where the Breitung Hotel stood for decades before being destroyed by fire years ago.

The music, selected by band director Lucas Wickstom, is a mix of old tunes and new numbers.

Many make attending these concerts a weekly must-do, but don’t be intimidated by the regular crowd. Newcomers are welcome at any time, just be sure to bring a lawn chair or blanket to sit on as the center’s outdoor benches are usually filled to capacity before the first note is played.

The atmosphere is friendly, with a wide range of age groups represented both on the stage and in the crowd.

Close your eyes during the music and you might feel like it’s 1922, not 2022, that being a compliment to the skill of the musicians. City bands have been a source of entetainment and pride for many years and it is wonderful that Negaunee, and its neighboring community Marquette, have such talented bands.

Sometimes it does a soul good to step away from the cell phone, computer and television to have some old-time, sweet, gentle fun.

Wednesday’s concert is titled “A Bit of Europe” and we encourage you to find out for yourself what tunes that includes.

We thank the members of the Negaunee City Band for the countless hours of rehearsal they put in to make the music magical.

A concert is a lovely way to spend a summer evening.

–The Marquette Mining Journal