National Guard's 188th Army Band to Celebrate 125th Anniversary through free concert series

FARGO, N.D. (7/30/12) - The North Dakota National Guard’s 188th Army Band will play a series of free concerts around the state next week to celebrate the band’s 125th anniversary and will incorporate a piece commissioned specifically for the band.

Titled “Salute,” the commissioned piece comes from North Dakota native Jocelyn Hagen, who composed it as a dedication “to all the Soldier musicians, past and present, whose service greatly contributed to the 188th’s heritage and legacy of ‘Pride in Performance,’” said Army National Guard Warrant Officer David J. Stordalen, 188th Army Band commander and conductor.

The band was organized in 1887 in Valley City, Dakota Territory. The First North Dakota Infantry Band was ordered to active duty in 1916 to support General “Blackjack” Pershing during the Mexican Border War and then to France in support of World War I. Following the war, the band was reorganized as the 164th Infantry Band. The band served in the Pacific during World War II with the rest of the North Dakota Army National Guard.

After its return, the band was reorganized, this time as the 294th Army Band. The band again reorganized in 1959 as the 188th Army Band, and moved to Fargo.
The upcoming concerts include:

• July 30 at 7 p.m. at Elmwood Park in West Fargo.

• Aug. 4 at1 p.m. at the Town Square Farmers Market, on Third Street and Demers Avenue in Grand Forks, for Military Appreciation Day.

• Aug. 5 at 7 p.m. at Scandinavian Heritage Park, 1020 S. Broadway in Minot.

• Aug. 6 at 7 p.m. at Virgil Syverson Harmon Park Performance Center on Main Avenue and 11th Street West in Williston.

• Aug. 7 at noon the Ceremonial Band will play at the Adjutant General’s Courtyard at Fraine Barracks in Bismarck; military ID required for entrance to Fraine Barracks.

• Aug. 7 from noon – 1 p.m. at the 7th annual Farmers Market on the south side of the State Capitol, Bismarck.

• Aug. 7 at 7 p.m. at Custer Park, 321 W. Thayer Ave., Bismarck.

• Aug. 8 at 7 p.m. at the North Dakota Veterans Home, Lisbon.

• Aug. 9 at 7 p.m. at the Chahinkapa Zoo band shelter, Second Street and Seventh Avenue North, Wahpeton.

• Aug. 10 at noon in downtown Fargo as part of the outdoor Brown Bag Concert Series at the U.S. Bank Plaza.

In addition to the public concerts, band members will serve as North Dakota State University’s resident band during the school’s Symposium on Music Education from Aug. 1 to 3.

The official mission of the 188th Army Band is to provide music throughout the full spectrum of military operations and to instill in Soldiers the will to fight and win, to foster the support of citizens, to promote national interests at home and abroad, and to entertain audiences. In successful completion and ongoing fulfillment of that mission, the band has continued to provide music to the citizens and Soldiers of North Dakota for 125 years.