WCOCCB celebrates 30 years of performing with upcoming concerts
High school pupils, college students, career professionals and hard-working retirees fill the Benjamin Logan High School band room on Tuesday nights throughout the summertime with their instruments in tow, happy to spend time with their fellow musicians and to create toe-tapping, upbeat music together.
They are all part of the West Central Ohio Community Concert Band, still approximately 60 members strong, which is marking its 30th performance year in 2022. Members travel from all over Logan County and also the surrounding counties to participate in the weekly rehearsals, led by director Myles Bowers.
Despite the divide that can sometimes be felt between the generations and different ages and experiences of people, the members noted how music is a common connector for everyone and builds a real camaraderie among the band members.
“It doesn’t matter how old or young you are,” said one of the founding members, Cheryll Bickham, whose grandson BLHS sophomore Caleb Knight is now part of the band as well. “It fills the gaps and everyone speaks the same language when you’re playing music together.”
“It’s fun to make music,” said percussionist Esther Tyler of Quincy. “We have people from all walks of life and all ages. We really enjoy ourselves when we all get together.”
Members have been practicing diligently in preparation for two upcoming summer concerts, including one this weekend — slated for 6 p.m. Sunday, July 24, at the Holland Theatre.
The free concert is not a ticketed event, and is a first-come, first-served basis at the theater.
The second show is also an annual tradition — the band’s ice cream social served up Sunday, Aug. 14, on the lawn of the Mac-A-Cheek Castle. The ice cream is served from 5 to 5:30 p.m. and the band’s performance is slated for 6 p.m. Attendees are invited to take lawn chairs.
Bowers, also a longtime Benjamin Logan High School band director and teacher, said the audience should expect to hear many favorite Americana patriotic tunes at the shows, along with a variety of pop songs, including Disney numbers.
The non-profit 501c3 organization was founded in 1991 as a small group of musicians who first met at the Band Aid Shop in Bellefontaine.
Back in 1989, Mrs. Bickham explained that she met Bill Barrett, a former West Liberty-Salem Schools band director and Indian Lake Schools choir director who would later direct the WCOCCB for many years, after she moved to the Logan County area from Florida.
“One of the first things I asked him was, ‘Where does the community band play?’ and he said to me, ‘Well, we don’t have one.’”
To address this issue, the founding members, which also included Tom Boone, Judy Nicholl, Gary Caldwell, Bob Goldsmith and Jay Turner, started gathering at the store owned by Mr. Barrett, located at 123 W. Columbus Ave.
“I was so surprised how quickly it came together,” said Mrs. Bickham, a retired teacher and longtime musician who also has previous symphony experience when she lived in Florida. “We wanted adults to have an outlet to do something together.”
She noted that charter members for the group also included Joe and Marianne Antram, Larry Walker, Carol Burton, Mrs. Bickham and Mr. Barrett.
While the practice venue has changed over the years to include the former Bellefontaine Middle School building and the Bellefontaine High School band room, the concert band has grown and they have been offered unique opportunities, including two prestigious performances presented in the nation’s capital.
In 2000, the WCOCCB was selected to represent Ohio for concerts that were performed at the Jefferson Memorial, Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument.
Then in 2003, a general from the Pentagon invited the community concert band back to Washington, D.C., for another concert, after being impressed with the group’s musical talents in their first visit.
The WCOCCB has been very meaningful to a number of the participants, including the Bickhams, with Mrs. Bickham noting it brought her husband, Bill, a lot of joy to play for all of the 25th anniversary season events for the group, despite his failing health. He passed away in December of that year in 2016.
A saxophonist, Mr. Bickham also was a member of the Air Force Band in his younger years, and was a member of the Fountainaires Jazz Group.
Mr. Barrett continued to lead the WCOCCB until he suffered a stroke and heart issues in late 2019, Mrs. Bickham said. The longtime director was able to make a surprise visit to the group last year to join in on some of their songs.
“I looked over and Bill was beaming from ear to ear, with the chance to make music again,” said Mrs. Bickham, who plays the French horn, along with many other instruments.
Bowers was selected to lead the band in 2020, but the group did not get to have a performing season that year because of the pandemic (so therefore, the one year delay in marking their 30th anniversary until this year).
A staff member at Benjamin Logan since 2011, Bowers teaches a number of high school courses, including music tech, music theory, American pop music, and leads the marching band, pep band, concert band, jazz band, along with working with the musicals and orchestra.
The director emphasized that the group is open to “anyone who wants to make music” from high school students, who need their band director’s recommendation, and older.
Currently, there are about a dozen or more high school students involved, he said.
“The youth involvement is so important if we want the band to continue to grow and have a presence in our community,” he said.
The older generations in the band enjoy the youth involvement and interactions, with Mrs. Bickham, age 66, noting that some of the oldest members include Ellen Hammond, who is in her early 80s, and Tom Scheiderer, who is in his late 70s.
The group is self-funded, and members pay a $25 annual membership fee, which is waived for high school students. They also accept donations at their concert.
Rehearsals take place Tuesday evenings from May through August, and also in November and December in preparation for their upcoming Christmas gala at the Holland Theatre.
Individuals who are interested in joining can contact Bowers via e-mail at mylesbowers12, or visit the West Central Ohio Community Concert Band Facebook page.