The Karl L. King Municipal Band of Fort Dodge, Iowa

This page is available as KarlKingBand.org

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.
 

 
 
 
King Band on Facebook
The Karl L. King Municipal Band
invites you to like them and view them on Facebook.

View concert programs or photos from previous seasons in our Concert Archive


KING BAND SALUTES THE APOLLO 11 MOON LANDING:

     On Sunday evening, July 20th, the weekly concert by the Karl L. King Municipal Band will feature a salute to the Apollo 11 moon landing on the same July 20th date in 1969.   Conductor Dan Cassady and announcer Paul Bloomquist will lead the band in an hour-long sampling of music that is “out of this world!”   Concert time is 7:30 pm at the Karl L.
King Band Shell in Oleson Park.

     Ice cream and other goodies will be available from the Southeast Valley Music Boosters for a free-will donation before the concert starts.   These summer concerts are provided, free of charge, by the City of Fort Dodge for everyone’s listening pleasure.   Persons are reminded to bring their own lawn chairs, since no seating is provided.

     March music is always on the program, and this week will include Semper Fidelis by John Philip Sousa, March Francaise: Father of Victory by Louis Ganne, and E. E. Bagley’s well-known composition, National Emblem.

The evening’s overture will be Karl King’s The Altar of Genius, published in 1916 during King’s third and final season as Conductor of the famous Sells-Floto Circus/Buffalo Bill Wild West Show Band.   In addition, the band will feature one of Karl King’s beautiful serenades, A Moonlight Melody, one of King’s earliest aerial waltzes with Moonlight on the Nile, and King’s exciting circus galop, Emporia.

Guest soloist for the evening is Nikole Nuttall on clarinet.   Nikole is a native of Omaha Nebraska, and a graduate of the University of South Dakota in Vermillion with a Bachelor’s Degree in Music Education and Music Performance with an emphasis on clarinet.   She just completed her 14th year as the middle school band director at the Alta-Aurelia Schools.   Nikole is principal clarinet with the Fort Dodge Area Symphony as well as the Karl King Band.   Ms. Nuttall will perform the classic clarinet solo, Immer Kleiner (Always Smaller), a humorous fantasy by Adolf Schreiner.   She will then join the rest of the Clarinet section to perform the popular Clarinet Polka.

On the lighter side will be a medley of Frank Sinatra’s many hit songs, simply titled Sinatra!   This medley will provide just four of his many popular tunes: Come Fly With Me from 1958, Witchcraft from 1957, That’s Life from 1966, and finally Fly Me to the Moon from Sinatra’s 1964 recording.   This last song was played on the Apollo 10 mission as it orbited the Moon and again, on Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin’s cassette tape player (remember those!) after he stepped onto the Moon.

     In the event of inclement weather, the concert may be cancelled at the starting time.   Any announcements will be made on the band’s Facebook page.   Plan to be in attendance each Sunday evening to hear the finest in band music as played by your local municipal band in beautiful Oleson Park, located in the southern part of the city of Fort Dodge.


View some photos from the 2025 Scholarship Concert.


View photos from the last concert of conductor Jerrold Jimmerson

View the programs from the 2023 Concert Season



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     Several years ago, CIRCUS POSTERS were made into U.S. postage stamps.

 


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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


 
Other News from your Municipal Band

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The Karl King Band was the featured performing ensemble for the 2006 Summer Meet of Windjammers, Unlimited.   - photos -

2016 Scholarship Concert  2017 Scholarship Concert   2019 Scholarship Concert

 
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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.
Walking Frog excerpt 1 - Walking Frog excerpt 2

This page is available as KarlKingBand.org

 
the Karl King Page Concert Season Archive Online Photo Archive

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