Author: Nicole C

There are only 3 weeks left to register for this year’s reunion! Reminder: The deadline to register is August 19th. https://nebandalums.org/registration/form/registrant

Due to the late game time, we will not hold our post-game party but will instead host a pre-game luncheon at the Apothecary after our outdoor rehearsal. HyVee will be catering and serving burgers, cole slaw, potato salad, cookies, and pop! $8 in advance or $10 at the door.

The last few years, you all have been so wonderful taking care of UNL’s rental instruments that have dropped the instrument rental fee down to $15 this year! The instruments will still need to be repaired from time to time, which is why we have a fee.

Front line and Flag line members will automatically be charged a $5 fee for the use of the equipment for the day.

Football tickets are still available for $75/each and we do have a block of tickets this year!

We’ll be celebrating 40 years of pep bands at this year’s Friday picnic! Please join us for an evening with friends, band staff, and members of the current UNL pep bands. We’ll also have a delicious dinner catered for $17.50/person! If you would also like to sponsor a band staff or pep band member’s meal, that option is available on the registration form. We’ll hold our annual board meeting at this dinner and will be voting on two board members. If you have photos from a pep band you were involved in, please send them to us!

We hope to see you September 2nd and 3rd at the reunion! Register today!

The Cornhusker Marching Band held their annual band banquet on Saturday, January 16th at the Cornhusker Hotel in Lincoln. Tom Kallman, UNL Band Alumni Association Inc. Vice President, was in attendance to give a short speech about our organization and to help present the award. Molly Boyd, BAA Secretary, was also in attendance.

The 2015 Outstanding Bandsman award went to Sarah Bigge. Sarah is a Senior Music Education Major (flute) from Bellevue, NE. She served as Drum Major for the Cornhusker Marching Band this season, and has also performed with the Symphonic Band and Wind Ensemble. She’s currently student teaching, and hopes to get a job teaching high school band. Congrats, Sarah!

The award was renamed in 2012 in Russ Swanson’s honor. Russ was a french horn player in the marching band and was a part of the 1941 Rose Bowl Band. He was also a WWII veteran serving on an air bomber crew. He was a charter member of the Band Alumni Association in 1974 and was on the board until a little over a year before he died in 2011. He and his wife were dedicated volunteers for activities of the BAA board.

If you recently ordered band clothing, the orders will be handed out at Westbrook Music Building, room 130, on Wednesday, Dec. 9th from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. If you are unable to make that time, you can contact Mitch Snyder at mitchell.snyder16@gmail.com. He will find a time to deliver your order!

Thank you to all who attended the 2015 UNL Band Alumni Reunion Weekend! It was incredible to have a record number of alumni marching. We hope everyone had a great time!

Huge thank you to the BAA board members and officers who worked many hours behind the scenes to make the reunion a success!

Special thanks to the following people for their help:

• Rose Johnson and Jan Deaton for the music, handling instrument rentals, and coordinating with the Athletic Department.
• Alyssa Wilhelm, director of bands at Lincoln Southwest High School and Jenn Ault, LSW color guard instructor for extra flag poles.
• Bill Maltas for bringing ice for the post game party.
• Tom Montgomery and Kevin Damke for staying to the bitter end to clean up after the post game party.

Below are the slideshows that were shown at the Friday night dinner, the band staff speeches, and the halftime show. Thanks to Ranelle Maltas for putting these together! Enjoy!

Jack Snider tribute

40 years of Alumni Band

Flagline tribute

UNL vs BYU Halftime show by Kathy Wait Bjorklund

Dr. Richmond, Dr. Barber and Tony speak at Friday night meeting

We hope to see all of you at the reunion in 2016! Go Big Red!