Glenn Miller Festival over - trip to Omaha

87º (Feel like of 92º) in Clarinda, IA at 11:15 am on Tuesday, June 14th, 2016

This was on the bulletin board at the high school.

Saturday afternoon I tended the door (as usher) while an interesting film was run on how music affected the people during and in World Ware II.

Though it is often wondered why Japan has a Glenn Miller Japan Branch  it was brought out in the introduction to this film that with America occupying Japan for the many years 1945 forward much of the Glenn Miller music was listened to by the American soldiers and it was picked up by the Japanese and still lives on there. 

 This is Nick Hilcher Click HERE for his story
who is the current leader of the Glenn Miller Orchestra.  He is quite a singer as well as band leader.  You can get the full web sight for the Glenn Miller Orchestra HERE

I did not climb to the top of the gymnasium to get a photo of the combined Glenn Miller Orchestra with the Des Moines Symphony, but it was good and caused a packed house.  We had close to 500 tickets sold and many extra chairs set on the floor as well as nearly filling the gym seats on the west wall.

 Mr. Hiedomi Aoki who lives in Japan has been coming to the Glenn Miller Festival for 30 years.  He is a sponsor of many programs and I believe does much to get the 70+ members of the Tamana Girls High School band here.  He was honored with a plaque for his 30 years.  He had originally made a commitment to come/ and sponsor for 10 years.

 Immediately after the combined Glenn Miller Orchestra and Des Moines Symphony concert we had to clear all the seats and set up seats and tables for the dance that Tom Daugherty band performed.

The folding seats are back into the wall and some of the tables and a few chairs up.

We went to Runza for supper and found that our "boss" Walt Pritchard was there with his wife and daughter & son-in-law.

We were back at the gymnasium on Sunday afternoon for the the last performance of the Tamana All-Girls High School band.

 Not as big a crowd as the night before, but a good turnout.

 The last performance of the Festival, and Sunday afternoon was Adam Swanson.  I do not have video of his performance but here are a couple You Tube shows of his:
Here   
And Here
And HERE

These are old videos - he is now 24 years old and will be going to California to get his Doctor's Degree in Music this fall.  He performs the "Ragtime" piano all over the country when not in school.



We drove to Omaha yesterday and I got an "OKAY" on my knee following the scope surgery a little over a month ago.  On the way back we stopped in Grant, IA to visit with Lyn & Cork Sliger.

Is 90 degrees now at 1:00 PM (I did get distracted and went and done some things outside) with a feel-like of 94º.
Oh, I did get a You Tube up on the Swing Esquire Orchestra from Tokyo, Japan that I had taken Saturday.
More later, Lynn