The Lewis County Community Band practices at Centralia College's Corbet Theater in this February 2017 file photo.
Over the past 30 years, the Lewis County Community Band has brought musicians together through a mutual love for music. The band includes a diverse group of people, ranging anywhere from juniors in high school to people in their 80s. Each college quarter, the Lewis County Community Band performs a free show at the Corbet Theater on the Centralia College campus.
One of the current directors of the band, Louie Blaser, has directed the band for 12 years, working alongside his co-director Karl Scarborough who has been involved in the band for over 20 years. Blaser’s grandfather, Ronald Brumbaugh, started the band in 1989 with his friend Kenneth Tinkham after they had both retired. Brumbaugh continues to play clarinet in the band at 86 years old.
The band plays a variety of concert band music, from easier to harder pieces that will challenge the band members. Centralia College students can receive two credits toward their music degree for playing in the band. The rest of the band is primarily comprised of community members who wanted to join the band for fun.
The band is always looking to expand their membership and serve more people, Blaser said. Each week during the college quarter, the band practices from 7 to 9 p.m on Tuesdays at Centralia College. If someone would like more information about joining the band, they can contact Blaser at louie.blaser@centralia.edu. Interested musicians can also call the Continuing & Community Education department at 360-623-8940 to join the band for a $25 fee.
“To me there’s nothing more fun than a giant band,” Blaser said. “We can make a lot of good music with a lot of people.”
The Lewis County Community Band’s free performance is at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, March 12, at the Corbet Theater on the Centralia College campus. For more information, visit the band’s Facebook page.
Lewis County Community Band Performance
Tuesday, March 12 at 7:30 p.m.
Corbet Theater, Centralia College
https://www.facebook.com/pg/LewisCountyCommunityBand/about/?ref=page_internal
