'A Patriotic Salute: 250 Years of America!'

The Hutchinson Municipal Band and Reno Choral Society will present A Patriotic Salute: 250 Years of America! on Tuesday, June 30, 2026, at 7:30 p.m. at Hutchinson’s Historic Fox Theatre, 18 E. 1st Ave. The concert is free and open to the public.  Doors open at 7:00 p.m.  Seating is expected to be near capacity, and community members are encouraged to arrive early. As has been the tradition since the band’s founding in 1875, Hutchinson Municipal Band performances remain free and open to the public.  The commemorative concert will honor the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence and celebrate the music, history and spirit of the United States and Kansas. The free public performance will feature patriotic selections, American classics and works performed by both ensembles.

Master of ceremonies Glen Grunwald will open the evening by welcoming Scouting America’s Boy Scout Troop 306 for the presentation of the colors. Kacey Jost, Krystal Krehbiel and Kourtney Lane will perform a trio arrangement of The Star-Spangled Banner, followed by the Hutchinson Municipal Band’s performance of Kansas’ official state song, Home on the Range, arranged by James Barnes.

The first part of the Hutchinson Municipal Band’s program will include Black Granite II by James L. Hosay, written in remembrance of the Vietnam War; O’er the Land of the Free by Johnnie Vinson; and Semper Fidelis by John Philip Sousa.

The Reno Choral Society will perform Oh! Susanna, arranged by Mark Hayes; Americana (Folk Song Suite) by Luigi Zaninelli; Song for the Unsung Hero, with lyrics by Pamela Martin and music by Joseph M. Martin; I Will Be a Child of Peace, a traditional Shaker hymn arranged by Elaine Hagenberg and edited by Dan Forrest; and Swingin’ with the Saints, arranged by Mark Hayes.

The Hutchinson Municipal Band will return to perform Last Full Measure (A Gettysburg Remembrance) by Michael Sweeney; Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing, arranged by Randall D. Standridge; and The Wizard of Oz Medley, arranged by James Barnes, featuring beloved selections from the classic American film set in Kansas.

The concert finale will bring the Hutchinson Municipal Band and Reno Choral Society together for Salute to the Armed Services, arranged by Jeremy S. Martin; America the Beautiful, with lyrics by Katharine Lee Bates and music by Samuel A. Ward, arranged by Cecil Effinger; Battle Hymn of the Republic, with lyrics by Julia Ward Howe and music by William Steffe, arranged by Peter J. Wilhousky; and John Philip Sousa’s The Stars and Stripes Forever, the official national march of the United States.