Glenn Miller Birthplace Society music festival for 2025 is over!

 84º and partly cloudy here in Clarinda, IA at 2:30 pm on Tuesday with rain predicted in next few hours.  Have had rain a few times over the last week.

Yesterday we ended up driving to the Kansas City Airport.  People in charge of the Glenn Miller Birthplace Festival had lined up a bus to take the Bill Baker's Big Band (from the Netherlands-the word Netherlands means "lower lands" or "low countries" as approximately 26% of the Netherlands' land area is below sea level--and another bit of info; The Netherlands was known as Holland until January of 2020) but the bus hadn't showed up 30 minutes after the scheduled time so many people filled their cars and one man with a pickup that pulled the trailer with much of the luggage and band instruments in it and we headed to Kansas City Airport.  We met the bus just a mile or so north of the Missouri state line. That would have made the bus arrive at the Museum in Clarinda about one hour after the due time. I haven't heard how it turned out with the contract for the bus line!  We got them there in plenty of time to check their luggage in and all the paperwork, etc. to be aboard the flight which was to leave about 6:20 pm our time.

A few pictures at the Glenn Miller Birthplace Museum and the original house where Glenn was born in 1904 that is near the museum.

We had picked up three band members last Wednesday--they were about 24 hours in travel from when they had left home.  There is a 7-hour time difference between here and there, they are 7 hours ahead of us on the clock.

in photo at right (taken yesterday morning as we were waiting time to meet the bus) Fred is on the right, he was the sound manager; Bert is next, he was the band director; and Maarten who played guitar, with Phyllis.

Phyllis was in charge of the Ushering (telling people where to go, taking tickets, helping any elderly with walkers and wheelchairs, etc.)  and she had several others beside me to help.  We were up to the High School by 7:30 am most days and didn't get home until after 10 pm most evenings.  I played Uber driver and went and picked up the men at the house and took them where they needed to go during the day, to high school, to a restaurant, etc.

The three guys Thursday morning.

On Thursday we watched over the scholarship competitions, both instrumental and vocal, during the day.  I don't have any photo of vocals.

Thursday evening we all went to the square here in Clarinda and first ate hotdogs or hamburgers, then listened to the Bonten & Miral “Talko” Japanese Drum Celebration there on the town square.  Click HERE for video of the ladies

  Then the composite Glenn Miller Orchestra, made up of local musicians and some of the attending professional bandsmen, put on a performance.

Well I have spent over five hours editing photos and videos and working on this blog. (I also spent time buying a new tree to plant west of the house and have hole partially dug)

 I will post more tomorrow about the festival.  Good night, Lynn Miles