MARQUETTE — The Marquette City Band has been performing at the iconic bandshell at Presque Isle Park since the late 1930s, but with the demolition of the aging structure the beloved Marquette performers must find concert space elsewhere.

“We’ll miss performing at Presque Isle for the summer, but we’ll still have our concerts outside and easily available to the public,” said Gordon Erickson, president of the Marquette City Band.

This year’s City Band Summer Concert Series will be held at a variety of rotating outdoor locations, including Harlow Park and the Founder’s Landing Piers. A full list of performance dates and locations can be found at the end of this article.

“It’s an exciting challenge to perform at these different venues and we’re looking forward to the MCB playing for audiences all over our great city,” said Erickson.

Although the location of the concerts may be different this summer, the Marquette City Band will continue to provide the beautiful and engaging performances it is known for.

“The City Band always has a lot of variety to the types of music we play,” said Erickson. “Our director, Dr. Steve Grugin, programs a wide variety of music, from traditional marches, modern concert band compositions, orchestral transcriptions along with pop music and movie soundtracks. There’s always something for everyone.”

The demolition of the Presque Isle bandshell comes as a result of damage to the structure, which has rendered it unsafe. There have been no performances there since 2022. In its place the city is building the Peg Hirvonen Bandshell, which is named after Peg Hirvonen, longtime supporter of the Marquette City Band.

“The Peg Hirvonen Bandshell is a massive project that the MCB has taken and we have already received a tremendous amount of financial support,” said Erickson. “However, we still have money that still needs to be raised to fully fund the project. Anyone who’s interested in donating towards this great project can visit our website (https://marquettecityband.com/) or the MCB Facebook to donate online or find more information about the project. Another way people can help is to share the project online.”

The investment in a new bandshell comes as an appreciation for the work the Marquette City Band has done for the city since 1887.

“I feel that the Marquette City Band fills multiple roles in our community,” said Erickson. “Our first function is to provide an opportunity for musicians of all ages to continue to play and grow as musicians. One of the great joys of being a band musician is for individuals of different generations to play together and learn from each other.

“The City band performs for different city events like the dedication of the Founders Landing Pier, the rededication of the Father Marquette Statue, the 4th of July celebration at Mattson Park and many others. Along with these events the Marquette City Band also provides a variety of great concerts to entertain people of all ages that bring the community together.”

Marquette City Band Summer Concert Series:

Thursday, June 12 – Concert at Marquette Commons (7:30 p.m.)

Thursday, June 26 – Art Week Concert at Harlow Park (7:30 p.m.)

Thursday, July 3 – Fireworks Concert at Lower Harbor Park (6:30 p.m.)

Thursday, July 17 – Children’s Concert at Lower Harbor Playground (7:30 p.m.)

Thursday, July 31 – Concert at Founder’s Landing Piers (7:30 p.m.)

Thursday, August 14 – Concert at NMU Northern Center Lawn (7:30 p.m.)

Annie Lippert can be reached at 906-228-2500, ext. 542. Her email address is alippert@miningjournal.net.