Entertaining Orange County Since 1973

And, as they say, the rest is history! The first concert was given in the fall of 1973 in the auditorium at Golden West College.  Many more performances followed as the band became assimilated into the cultural affairs of the city.  The band functioned under the purview of the Library Department, whose truck we still use today to move our equipment to and from concerts.

Four years later, in the spring of 1977, the band faced its first crisis. John Mason announced that he would not continue as musical director in the fall.  Additionally, both the manager and the librarian announced that they too were resigning (probably coincidental with the graduation of their band-member kids).

Now the band was on the brink of folding.  Never known for either modesty or silence, I volunteered to temporarily assume the duties of manager of the band - a temporary assignment that lasted 20 years, until 1997.  An ad hoc committee was formed from among the band members to select our next director.  Among the four candidates was Tom Ridley.  Tom was then a high-school band director in the Orange Unified system.

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