Dixieland era music uplifts spirits in Kutztown
Ben Mauger’s Dixieland Band returns to Kutztown Park to perform in the bandshell from 7 to 9 p.m. on July 20 as part of the Borough of Kutztown’s 2019 Concert Series in the Park.
The band is in great demand at festivals, dances, and concerts and has quickly become a crowd favorite in the Concert Series and will bring the uplifting sounds of that Dixieland era.
The group, under the direction of Ben Mauger, is a 7-8 piece New Orleans style Dixieland band, playing the hot Dixieland jazz and dance music of the 1920s and ‘30s era, and the Swing New York City style revival Jazz made famous in the ‘50s and ‘60s.
They will delight in providing a high octane concert for all to enjoy, as we turn back the calendars to the Dixieland jazz music of that era, made famous by many bands and soloists throughout jazz clubs across America. They will delight the audience with the upbeat hot music such as “The Charleston”, “Varsity Drag”, “I’ll see You In My Dreams”, “Happy Feet”, “Doin’ the Uptown Lowdown”, and many more.
Among the songs in their repertoire are such classic Dixieland songs with that recognizable Dixieland sound and beat. Such songs as “Basin Street Blues”, “Sweet Georgia Brown”, “Darktown Strutter’s Ball”, and many more.
The band, under the direction of Lead Cornet player and Bandleader Ben Mauger, has been leading Dixieland Jazz bands and has performed all over the east coast for over 30 years. The band members hail from various areas of Pennsylvania from Philadelphia to Harrisburg and further. They have become very popular as they bring this style of Dixieland music to central and eastern Pennsylvania and all along the east coast. Please come and enjoy a different music style in our historic Kutztown Park Band Shell, built about the time this music was the rave. Sit back, enjoy and hold onto your hats and get ready for a great time, great music, and a trip down memory lane.
The park concession stand Mad Dogs in the Park will be open before and during the concert, with a variety of hot dogs, wraps, salads, various varieties of fries, chicken tenders, and many other items for your enjoyment. So come early, bring your appetite for music and food, and grab dinner or a snack in the Kutztown Park.
The concert is free to the public and will be held rain or shine in the covered Kutztown Park Bandshell. The Borough of Kutztown 2019 Concert Series in the Park is made possible by the Borough of Kutztown and the generous support of the following co-sponsors:
Major Sponsor: DJI Insurance Agency, East Penn Manufacturing Co. Inc., Kutztown Lions Club, Kutztown Rod & Gun Club, and Walbert Funeral Home & Cremation Services, PC
Gold Sponsors: Russell E. Conrad, Inc., Fraternal Order of Eagles-#839, Giant Food Stores, LLC, Kutztown Grange, and the Optimist Club of Kutztown.
Silver Sponsors: Edward J. Hildenbrand Funeral Home, Inc., Halye’s Automotive, Barley/Snyder, Great Valley Consultants, Ludwick Funeral Homes, Inc., and The Windsor Press Inc.
Bronze Sponsor: Airport Diner, First Commonwealth Federal Credit Union, Fleetwood Bank, Fulton Mortgage CompanyJohn Schmoyer, Kutztown American Legion Baseball Assoc., Kutztown Historical Society, Kutztown Community Partnership, Mamma’s Delight Pizza & Restaurant, Messersmith, Keller & Sicher Family Dentistry, Silver Maple Veterinary Clinic, State Farm-Steve Drasher, Topton Family Practice.
Patron Sponsors: Suacony Creek Brewing Company, Monaghan Group of Kutztown Realtors, Adam ‘n Eve Boutique, Erb Electric, Huguenot Lodge #377, Kevin Snyder-President Borough Council, Kutztown Lioness Club, Mad Dogs Kutztown, O’Keefe, Miller & Thielen, P.C., Shaynah Kinner Daycare Center, Towne Vision Center.