The Karl King Band is the municipal band for Fort Dodge, Iowa.  This ensemble has historically provided a summer concert series in the Karl King Bandshell in beautiful Oleson Park and an indoor concert series held in the auditorium of Iowa Central Community College or Fort Dodge Middle School Auditorium.   These concerts are free to all, and are provided as a service by the City of Fort Dodge.   Dan Cassady serves as the band's Interim Conductor, and Jerrold P. Jimmerson is the former Director of the King Band.   Learn more about the Band and visit the online archive of photos related to the history of the Karl L. King Municipal Band of Fort Dodge, Iowa.
 

The Karl L. King Municipal Band invites you to like them and view them on Facebook. The Karl King Band is the municipal band of Fort Dodge, Iowa, and they have now competed their Summer Season of concerts. View some photos from the 2025 Scholarship Concert. View photos from the last concert of conductor Jerrold Jimmerson      Several years ago, CIRCUS POSTERS were made into U.S. postage stamps.   The Karl L. King Municipal Band of Fort Dodge is seen during a practice session before taking the stage. The previous Winter and Summer Concert Series May be viewed in our Concert Archive View a video of the band performing Karl King's march, Bon Voyage. (60 MB mpg format) View photos of the bandshell during the renovation process. Dr. Mike Golemo of Iowa State University has been several times the guest conductor.   Fort Dodge's newest monument was dedicated in a ceremony held October 22, 2006.  The life-size monument to famed band composer and director, Karl L. King, was placed in the Karl L. King Park in downtown Fort Dodge and was first seen by the public following an open house of the Karl King Archives.  The dedication ceremony included a program by the Karl L. King Municipal Band and the introduction of special guests and an address by former Fort Dodge mayor, Judge Albert Habhab.  - program photos  -  2006 Open House Statue proposed - Statue in progress - Statue mounting process Dedication speakers - Dedication program

Deann Haden-Luke's original musical that uses Karl King music has been published! View Cardiff information on the Heuer Publishing website. Cardiff AnnouncementCardiff2006 Premiere

The Karl King Band performed in the Iowa State Capitol to promote a postage stamp in his honor.

Iowa Public Radio's Rick Fredericksen interviewed Oley about Karl King.

• Those with fast internet will enjoy an mpg video of McNamara's Band (56 mb) from 2009 winter's Irish Concert.

• USAToday featured the Karl King Band in an article published March 29, 2009.

• View photos of previous concert seasons.

• The Iowa Chapter of the American Institute of Architects has included the Karl King Bandshell in a list of Iowa's most significant structures.  Iowa Public Television has produced and aired a 40 minute excerpt from its 2 hour documentary featuring those structures, entitled A Century of Iowa Architecture.  The entire documentary was shown in the spring of 2005.

• The band has acquired an equipment vehicle.

• You can download and view two short videos of Karl King's The Walking Frog galop performed by the Karl King Band. They are in .mov format (Quicktime) and each is about 8 MB in size.

• New information and photos of Carl Quist, first director of the band now known as the Karl King Band have recently been received from Mr. Quist's grandson and are archived on this website.

• Download a short mpg clip of the July 6, 2003, finale of Stars and Stripes Forever (3 MB .mpg).

• Download a short mpg clip of the King Band playing Americans We (1.4 MB .mpg).