History of the Salisbury Band

The Salisbury Band is a town band of amateur players with a long tradition of bringing music to the Northwestern Connecticut community and the tri-state area. The Lakeville-Salisbury Band was formed in 1928 by Harry Eggleston, a local insurance agent. At that time, many towns in the area had their own band, and they were a favorite form of community entertainment. Harry is shown in old photographs playing cornet in the Canaan Citizens Band and the Cornwall Cornet Band. Other bands in our town included the Barnum and Richardson Band, the VFW Fife and Drum Corps, and the Lakeville Greys.

The original members of the Band were men and boys wearing white shirts, dark pants, and gray jackets. The performed concerts from the White Hart Inn green in Salisbury to the state hospital in Wingdale, New York, and other sites in between. Participating in the Memorial Day parade in Salisbury has been a tradition since 1931, as has the Band’s participation in marching for the Lakeville Hose Company in countless parades in Connecticut, New York, and Massachusetts.

By the mid-1930s the band had grown to about 30 members. To accommodate local performances, the band in the 1940s built its own bandstand at the Lakeville ball field. It is only fitting that the Band’s 75th Anniversary took place there, though that bandstand is long gone.

After Harry Eggleston turned in his baton in the late 1940s, Bill Meder, then Housatonic Valley Regional High School’s music teacher, became the director. He encouraged young high school musicians and women to join the band, and it flourished under his direction. In the mid-1950s it was decided to obtain new uniforms, and the band performed a Uniform Drive Concert. The snazzy new wool uniforms were black, red, and gold. Charter member Jim DuBois remarked that “They were fancy enough, but boy, were they hot! We looked good, but we sure sweated a lot!”

Majorettes and baton twirlers were soon added to the ranks of the band, coached by Bill’s wife Gloria. He retired after directing the band for 20 years, and during the 1970s there were several different directors. Bonnie Whalen coached the majorettes in the 1970s and 1980s.

Lee Collins, a local music teacher, took up the directorship of the band in 1980. New uniforms were added – white pants and shirt, bow tie and a jaunty boater. The following year red vests were added to the uniform and are still worn today. The Band rehearsed in the Salisbury Town Hall for years and then moved to the Scoville Memorial Library, where they continue to meet.

A small band of members came together to play at area Christmas carol sings, and in 1981 the Salisbury Band Christmas Brass & Hot Chocolate Society was organized. Their distinctive red and gold striped scarves helped to keep the hardy brass players warm during the outside events. Today the Hot Chocolates continue to perform at local tree lightings and nursing homes.

In 1982 the Lakeville-Salisbury Band formally became the Salisbury Band. We celebrated 55 years of spirited band music in 1983 with Salisbury Band Day and Jim DuBois Day, when past band members were invited to play with us to celebrate this occasion. Past and present Band players hail from all over Litchfield County and beyond: Salisbury, Cornwall, Kent, Sharon, Falls Village, North Canaan, Litchfield, New Milford, Torrington, CT, and Sheffield, MA, and Amenia, and Millerton, NY.

Some of our musicians formed the Salisbury Band Senior Quick-Step HotShots in 1983 to continue the playing season into the fall. The music (not the players) is loud, fast, and fairly loose. They continue to play at gatherings at the Lakeville Town Grove, private parties, the Salisbury Fall Festival and the annual CROP Walk. Past venues include the Norman Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge, MA, the pavilion in Bridgewater, and the Thomaston bandstand. You will hear the Hot Shots play a college song from your alma mater, show tunes, pop songs from the past, up-tempo polkas, and Dixieland numbers.

By the mid-80s the Salisbury Band had grown to 55 members strong. In 1988, the Salisbury Band celebrated its 60th anniversary and received letters of recognition from Governor William O’Neil, U.S. Senator Christopher Dodd, U.S. Senator Lowell Weicker, and President Ronald Reagan.

When Lee Collins retired in 1995, Scott Heth became the director and led the Band for 14 years. He brought technical expertise to the Band, along with some other area musicians. On the occasion of our 75th year Scott organized a gala Band Day with several other musical groups performing and produced a very professional CD of some of the Band’s favorite pieces. He made us sound great!

Scott’s increasing duties as head of Audubon Sharon led him to resign as director in 2009. His replacement was Friso Hermans, a music teacher and band director in CT Region 12. As a resident of Bridgewater Friso had a long ride every week, and as an accomplished string player and vocalist he brought new perspectives to the Band.

But the times, they were changing. Fire companies began to question the wisdom of needing to organize the personnel and stand the expenses involved in an annual carnival, which is always at the mercy of a week of bad weather. Carnivals and the accompanying parades began to disappear from the schedule. And as the number of parades dropped from year to year, so did the Band’s income from them. Another change: in these years the number of young people in the Band began to decline. Real efforts were made to attract students from schools in the area, but with little success.

It was heartening, however, to see families playing in the Band. Adults who played in the Band brought their children and relatives into the ranks, and they provided new life to the group. When Friso made a career move to another school system, we continued the tradition of hiring a school band director to lead us. David Gaedeke, recently retired from North Canaan Elementary School, took up the baton in 2014 and brought his experience, dedication, and quick wit to the Band. In 2015 the Band reluctantly decided not to continue marching in firemen’s parades. The number of members who were able and/or willing to march was dwindling, and rather than appearing at a parade with too few players, we just stopped marching. We are still on the street, however, in Salisbury’s Memorial Day parade and cemetery observance.

In 90+ years, the Salisbury Band has endured many changes, yet the tradition continues. We look forward to our centennial in 2028 and to many more years of pleasing audiences on the street and on the green. Band music is alive and well in the northwest corner of Connecticut.