Program to spotlight Civil War brass bands

The Bella Vista Civil War Round Table is pleased to announce that the program on Thursday, June 1, will be presented by Jim Spillars and will be about the little-known but important story of Civil War band instruments.

The program is titled Civil War Brass Band Music. Spillars will visit the subjects of the call for regimental bands; the modern sound, pitch and tempo concepts versus the 1860’s; types of instruments used for bands or field musicians; types of music the bands played; and short histories of three specific bands: the 24th Massachusetts Regimental band, the 37th Illinois Regimental band and the 26th North Carolina Regimental band.

Spillars is a past president of the Washington County Historical Society. He is also a veteran Civil War reenactor, docent at the Headquarters House Museum in Fayetteville and a part-time engineer and conductor for the Eureka Springs & North Arkansas Railway. He is a graduate of the University of Arkansas with an undergraduate degree in education and a Masters in Music Education. He is currently the Director of Bands for the Farmington Public Schools System.

The program will be presented at the Bella Vista Museum beginning at 7 p.m. The meeting is free and open to the public. Donations are accepted to help with speaker expenses.

The purpose of the Bella

Vista CWRT is to educate and stimulate interest in the period of history of the United States known as “The Civil War,” to promote historical, educational and literary study and activities related to the Civil War, including events and circumstances related to the cause and effects of the War. The Round Table normally meets at 7 p.m. on the first Thursday of each month at the Bella Vista Museum located at 1885 Bella Vista Way in Bella Vista. The museum is located at the intersection of Highway 71 and Kingsland Road.

For further information please contact BVCWRT President Dale Phillips at 812-899-2049 or email at dkp55@ymail.com.