New Holland Band day planned

Mike Ressler, longtime euphonium player with the New Holland Band, remembers well his first days as a member at the age of 15. "I couldn't drive, and I didn't know anybody," recalled Ressler. "My first good friend in the band was Art Futer, and he was 65." Ressler, who is now retired himself, noted that Futer, who played drums in the band and founded the New Holland Band Museum, drove a large station wagon that was used to transport percussion instruments. "(Futer) would talk band history and (about) all the bands in the county," stated Ressler. "That's how I was initiated into the history of the New Holland Band."

Now, Ressler, chair of the New Holland Area Historical Society (NHAHS) board, and board member Brian Frankhouser are working to absorb the New Holland Band Museum collection into the NHAHS archives and exhibits. Frankhouser lauded Ressler for serving as the bridge between the two organizations. "This project couldn't happen without Mike, who has coordinated everything," Frankhouser said.

To commemorate the joining of the two entities, a special New Holland Band drop-in event will be held in the Steve Loewen Community Room, 207 E. Main St., New Holland, on Sunday, May 18, from 2 to 4 p.m. "At 3 p.m., there will be a (brief) program to talk to folks about the history of the band and the museum itself," noted Ressler. An NHAHS room located adjacent to the community room has been designated by the historical society to use for band exhibits, and Ressler plans to have information about Futer available in that room. There will also be other exhibits in the community room, and the NHAHS Museum, on the second floor, will be open for those who wish to see "The Remarkable Mr. Deen" exhibit and other NHAHS displays.

The New Holland Band Museum had its origins in Futer's West Broad Street home in New Holland in 1980. Futer, who died in 1998, collected a variety of instruments - originally of the period when the New Holland Band began as a fife and drum group in 1829. Futer, who also had a collection of American Indian artifacts in his home, housed the museum until 1983, when it moved to the New Holland Borough building on North Railroad Avenue. When the borough made plans to build a new home and sell the old building, the band and the New Holland Community Library joined forces to build a new shared building on land donated by Garden Spot Village. New Holland Band president John Zimmerman reported that the band's fundraising efforts contributed up to 30% of the funds needed to build what is now known as the ELANCO Area Library. The band museum moved to the second floor in 1997, and Ressler reported that after the move, the museum was open three days a week. "When it first opened, musicians came from all over the East Coast," recalled Zimmerman. "They all knew Art."

However, in the more than 40 years since the move to the building at 11 Chestnut Drive, New Holland, the museum became increasingly less busy. "We weren't seeing much traffic from the community, and it was increasingly hard to get band members to volunteer," said Ressler, who noted that the band schedule keeps most musicians busy. In June of 2024, after much consideration, the museum's collection was transferred to NHAHS. A generous donation, made by a friend of the band, created an endowment fund to support the collection into the future.

The New Holland Band added clarinets and brass to its mix of musicians in 1842, but by 1846, the band was selling its wagon and instruments. In 1856, the band was reorganized as part of the Earl Infantry Company with Isaac Witwer as director beginning in 1857. In 1864, the band was enlisted as a group with the 203rd Regiment of Pennsylvania Volunteers in the Civil War. In 1865, the band returned to New Holland and practiced on the second floor of a building Witwer constructed on Main Street. Over the years, the band has evolved, and a number of directors have wielded the conductor's baton, including M. Weaver Hagey, Floyd Reddig, Marlin Houck, Ken Laudermilch, and current director Fred Hughes. Zimmerman and Ressler, and Hughes noted that many band members have gone on to enjoy professional careers. "The band, in the last 50 to 60 years, has developed a tremendous number of youths who turned professional," said Zimmerman. "I couldn't tell you how many." Among them the group listed clarinet player Paul Eberly, trombonist Larry Witmer, and Jim McFalls, who will return as a guest musician at an upcoming band concert. Cornet player Jay Custer, who accompanied Futer on archaeological digs, was inspired to earn his doctorate in archaeology and went on to teach anthropology at the University of Delaware.

The NHAHS Museum is open each Thursday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. There is no admission fee. Information about NHAHS is also available at https://nhhistorical.com or by searching for "New Holland Area Historical Society" on Facebook or @nhhistorical on Instagram.