History    

 

        Ilion, New York has a long history of band music and a long history of famous bands which have played in the Village.  Among the latter was the world famous Gilmore Band’s which performed in the Village in the 1870’s. 

          On a local level, one of the earliest bands was Col. William Smith's Quadrille Band which enjoyed great popularity at Village functions in the 1850’s.  The end of the Civil War was celebrated with J.D. Ingersoll’s Brass Band.  In the 1870’s, The Ilion Armory Band gave concerts throughout the Village and continued until the end of the accompanied by changes in its composition and name.  At the beginning of the twentieth century, it was the Ilion Military Band that was heard in concert in the Village.

          In 1905, the Remington Company formed its first band, The Remington Typewriter Band.  In 1936, this band became the Remington Rand Band, under the direction of Sammy Nile and continued into the middle of the 20th century when it became the Ilion Fireman’s Band.  It is the Ilion Fireman’s Band that became today’s band: The Ilion Civic Band.

          There are many stories of bands in the Village of Ilion.  There are as many anecdotes.  We are only aware of some of them.  There is the story of the band members who sailed to the concert at the Marina in a very overloaded rowboat.  There was the Remington Band that reportedly played at lunch in the Remington Factory lunchroom.

          We have written only the briefest of histories of bands in the Village of Ilion and especially of the history of on the Ilion Civic Band.  We welcome more information, anecdotes or history of bands in the Village  Be sure to e-mail us and tell us your stories.

 

            More information on the bands of Ilion as well as on other aspects of social life in the Village of Ilion can be found at: http://herkimer.nygenweb.net/ilion/ilionsocial.html  

        For more information on the Remington Rand band please go to: http://herkimer.nygenweb.net/remband.html

 

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