Thanks to our Sponsors and Community Partners

Vintage Band Festival 2024 is one week away. In past newsletters this spring and summer we’ve been highlighting the bands that will be performing at VBF 2024 on July 26-27. If you missed any newsletters or want to get a refresher, the complete schedule of concerts and all of the band profiles are on our website www.vintagebandfestival.org. Just click on the pull-down tab “VBF 2024”.

Today we want to thank our sponsors and community partners for their support. Without their financial and logistical support we would not be able to do what we do. Our Festival Sponsors this year are the Southeastern Minnesota Arts Council (SEMAC), the City of Northfield, JoAnn Polley and Mark Ulmer, Mary Rosenberg, David and Nan Shumway, and Barbara Zaveruha and Glen Castore.

Our 2024 Stage Sponsors are Community Resource Bank, Merchants Bank, David Clarke, David and Martha Brown, Lee Engquist, Tyler and Kari Holden, and Lois and Noel Stratmoen.

A huge shout out to Isaac Leonard at Festival Production Services and Roger Fette at Fette Productions for our stage, audio and lighting tech. Thanks also to By All Means Graphics/Graphic Mailbox for our marketing support, Kathy Bjerke, our accountant and Jim Haas, our donor database manager.

VBF Board members Phil Peterson and Paul Beck

Phil Peterson

Phil Peterson moved to Northfield in 2008 after retiring from the Insurance industry. Phil immediately immersed himself in community activity. He completed training to be a Northfield Historical Society tour guide, a member of the “posse” with expertise talking about the James Gang Bank Robbery. Phil’s love for music and tenor voice has him singing in the Bethel Lutheran Church Choir, I Cantanti (community choir) and volunteering as a hospice musician playing guitar and singing for hospice patients. Phil also plays the euphonium in the Fifty North Band and the Northfield Community Band. Thanks Phil, for what you give to Northfield and for being a board member of the Vintage Band Festival!

Paul Beck

If you were a brass-playing middle schooler in Northfield Schools from 1989-2013 you most likely had private lessons from teacher and trombonist, Paul Beck. “Mr. Beck” had a stellar career as a public-school teacher in Northfield and continues to participate as a trombonist is local bands and ensembles, did a stint as conductor of the Northfield Community Band, and sings in the St. John’s Lutheran Church Choir. As a graduate of St Olaf College, his connection to Northfield goes back many years (his mom was an Ole too). Paul taught instrumental music in two other rural Minnesota towns before landing in Northfield. Thank you for your volunteer service to the Vintage Band Festival!