The community of White Bear has been committed to a variety of cultural offerings and entertainment over the decades. A band shell or gazebo has been present in Railroad Park in downtown White Bear Lake since the earliest days of the village. Various performances were given from the gathering point, and that tradition continues today with Marketfest and other activities throughout the year.
In 1888, the locally popular Selber’s Orchestra found itself without a bandleader when Fred Selber resigned, and the White Bear Brass Band was organized. Interestingly, the new band elected J.W. Miller, a local saloon owner, as its business manager. Performances were held sporadically around the area, both in the park and at the various resorts. In the spring of 1914, professors F.F. Farrar and H.J. Keeler organized a band of students from the White Bear schools to conduct regular concerts in the park, the first of which was given June 5 of that year. The first record of the Village Council officially entering into a contract with the band comes in April 1920, when the council agreed to pay the White Bear Band $30 per weekly performance for 13 weeks. The following year, the rate was raised to $50 per performance for 13 weeks and specified to occur on Thursday evenings.
The schedule varied from year to year, but typically the band would play on Friday evenings; the Village Council would approve payment for the full season in the spring so the community could plan to attend. The response was fantastic, with parked cars lining the park area and adjacent streets, as the community enjoyed the music and camaraderie.
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For more information on the White Bear Band, visit whitebearhistory.org, or call 651.407.5327.
