CONTRIBUTED PHOTO The Marshalltown Community Band performs public concerts May through July. The oldest member of the band currently is Don Peterson, 90, who plays the trumpet. The youngest member is Layla Wimberly, 15, on alto saxophone.

There aren’t many groups or clubs in Marshalltown that have met for more than 150 years — especially ones that could be classified as intergenerational, with members ranging from teens to their 90s. The Marshalltown Community Band performs public concerts May through July (and some Christmas concerts). The band will play its final concert of the season July 23 from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at Oakview Nursing Home in Conrad. Other concerts were held in the 13th Street District.

The band is directed by Brett Umthun, who also serves as director of bands at Marshalltown High School. Some of the band’s members have participated in it most of their adult lives. Instruments played encompass horns and percussion.

While enthusiasm for their performances is strong, longtime member Jody Brintnall says one area the band wishes to improve is funding.

“We are 100 percent reliant now on donations. We were levied money through the city, and the Iowa Senate voted (House File 718 in 2023) to eliminate a lot of levies — downsize. We were one of them. The library was one of them,” she said. “We are a nonprofit. We have been a nonprofit since 2018. So we are tax deductible for donations. I do send a receipt with a handwritten thank you to people who make donations. I just want to keep us out there so people know that we’re still around.”

She said last year, the band’s expenses were between $8,000 and $9,000. Previously, the budget was closer to $11,000.

“When we were under the city, everybody got paid something. But now that we are on our own, most of the adults have stepped up and are volunteer,” she said. “We do pay a minimum amount to the kids that show up. When I was in high school, that was gas money for me.”

Expenses include insurance, equipment, a trailer and for promotion purposes.

“We’re trying to fundraise for new chairs. We’re sitting on old Coliseum folding metal chairs. Brett will buy some, not a lot, but some new music. We do pay Brett, the director, but other than that, those are our expenses,” she said.

Brintnall, who joined in 1972 and plays alto saxophone, comes from a musical family.

“I think my oldest brother was in the community band, in the late 1950s. We go way back. All six of us have been in community band at some point. I hold the longest tenure,” she said of her siblings.

She added it wasn’t a matter of if the youngsters in her family wanted to be in the band, but rather, what instruments they cared to play, their parents taking them shopping at Smith Music. All three of Brintnall’s children played in the band, as well as her granddaughter Layla Wimberly, 15. This is Layla’s first year in the band, and she also plays alto saxophone.

“My highlight in the band is that I get to play with my grandma. I also enjoy playing the different music pieces from Disney to Christmas in July, and the pieces for the Memorial Day concerts,” she said.

When asked what she’d say to encourage someone to join, she said it instantly plugs you into a great group of people from all over the community who all love music.

“Our performances are free and family-friendly, making them a great way for the whole community to come together and enjoy live music,” Layla noted.

Brintnall said the history of the Marshalltown Community Band is fascinating. She noted many hometown bands formed following the Civil War, as the soldiers had participated in drum and bugle corps during their enlistments. She said the earliest photo of the Marshalltown Municipal Band was taken around 1875 in front of the former Fantle’s building. In the past, the band has performed in Anson Park, Riverview Park, the high school and the Iowa Veterans Home. In 2024, the band changed its name from “municipal” to “community.”

The oldest member of the band currently is Don Peterson, 90, who plays the trumpet. But Dan Good, baritone, has been in it the longest — 64 years. Brintnall’s other granddaughter Lydia Speas, 13, is joining next year, also on alto saxophone.

“We couldn’t drive the train without Brett,” Brintnall said. “We also get a lot of support from Amber Danielson and the Arts + Culture Alliance. A lot of publicity and videos. I’m very grateful for Amber. She’s stuck up for us.”

The Arts + Culture Alliance gives $5,000 annually to the Marshalltown Community Band.

The band is always looking for new members, preferably ages 14 and up.

Donations can be sent to: Marshalltown Community Band, 405 North First Street, Marshalltown.

For more information about joining the band, email Umthun at: marshalltowncommunityband@gmail.com. Rehearsals are Tuesdays with Thursday performances. The band will also perform at Oktemberfest.