The Karl King Municipal Band of Fort Dodge, Iowa was the featured performing ensemble at the 2006 summer meet of Windjammers, Unlimited.  The Windjammers are a national group of persons who have an interest in playing, performing, hearing, and recording the music from the bygone days of when traditional circuses traveled throughout the United States.

The Windjammers group has two national meets each year.  The meet in January is always in Sarasota, Florida, where the Ringling Brothers Circus had their winter quarters.  The summer meet moves around the United States.  The 2005 meet was held in New Hampshire; the 2006 meet was held in Des Moines, Iowa; and in 2007 the gathering will be in Kingston, Ontario Canada.

The Karl L. King Municipal Band is one of the nation’s best-known community bands.   It was invited to perform because of its close association with Karl King.   During the July 21 concert, the King Band performed a concert focusing on Karl King’s life from 1910, when he joined the Robinson’s Famous Circus as a Euphonium player, through 1918, after he had completed his second year as Conductor of the Ringling Bros.-Barnum and Bailey Circus Band.   Mr. King also traveled with the Yankee Robinson Circus, Sells-Floto Circus, and the Sells Floto and Buffalo Bill Combined Shows.  This special concert featured music written by King during that time for the various shows and circus acts, including marches, overtures, waltzes, rags, intermezzos, and galops.

Michael Short, who grew up in Fort Dodge and was a former member of the King Band, was the special guest soloist for this concert.   He currently resides in Des Moines, where he maintains an active teaching and performing schedule.

We were very pleased and honored to have this opportunity to perform Karl King’s music for such a prestigious audience, commented King Band conductor Jerrold Jimmerson.