MoBand keeps the music and blankets coming in Modesto

Much like the downtown arch and McHenry Mansion, the MoBand blankets have become an instantly recognizable part of the Modesto landscape.

As the warmer weather rolls around, the seasonal addition to the city aesthetic returns, as does the reason they’re there in the first place: MoBand. The Modesto Band of Stanislaus County celebrates its 97th Concert in the Park season this year with six weekly shows starting Thursday, June 9, at Mancini Bowl in Graceada Park. The Thursday night concerts have become a tradition for thousands who come out to listen to music, socialize and sit on those blankets in the Valley evening.

This year’s theme, chosen by longtime MoBand conductor George Gardner, is “We Are Family.” It’s a fitting name given the music series’ familial, multigenerational and community appeal.

“We always talk about the relationship within the band and feel like we’re a family. And the audience feels like they’re part of the family, too. So we wanted to extend that feeling this season,” said Gardner, who has led the band since 1978.

Founded in 1919 as the Modesto Boys’ Band, MoBand is one of the oldest continuously performing bands in the nation. Famed clarinetist Frank Mancini (and the namesake of the performance venue) took charge shortly after it started and later changed the name to Modesto Band of Stanislaus County. Today, the community band brings together musicians of all ages and skill levels.

While the numbers fluctuate each week for the all-volunteer band of performers, Gardner said about 125 played each concert last year. The only requirements to play are that musicians have completed at least the eighth grade and attend the Monday and Wednesday rehearsals before each show. The first open rehearsal will be 6:30 p.m. Monday, June 6, at Modesto’s Mancini Hall, 718 Tuolumne Blvd.

Players typically range from in their teens to their 70s. Some have been involved for decades, like Dan Maas, who joined in 1978. The trumpeter taught music at Hanshaw Middle School and Downey High for years. For the past five years, he has helped arrange the music for the MoBand series.

“It’s fabulous to come out on a Thursday night and have a couple thousand people waiting to hear the band and enjoy each other’s company. I’ve known the same people for the last 40 years, and they are all there each week. It’s nice to see everyone,” Maas said. “That and the fact that it’s actually a pretty good band. It can play challenging music. There’s a real sense of community.”

The enduring popularity of the show, which fills the seating and grassy areas around the Mancini Bowl each week, is partly due to its social scene and partly its popular music. Gardner said since the 1970s, the concerts in the park have evolved to include less pure classical and more contemporary sounds.

“We have to have a feel for what the audience wants to hear,” Gardner said. “I tell the members of the band that this isn’t an educational experience necessarily. We’re here to entertain the people of Modesto.”

This year’s slate will include the annual Graffiti Summer-themed show, with songs from the “American Graffiti” era June 9, and patriotic music for the Fourth of July-themed show June 30. New this year will be a “Big Ticket” show June 16 featuring music from marquee music names such as Paul McCartney and Cher, as well as an “Island Style” show June 23 including the music of Don Ho and Jimmy Buffett.

But Gardner and band members readily recognize that the party atmosphere can be as big a draw as the music. Friends and sometimes whole neighborhoods come out with their blankets, picnic tables, lawn chairs and more. The spreads can be elaborate, and the wine typically flows.

“Everyone knows the audience is not sitting silently to what we do. But I tell the musicians they have to perform at a high level regardless. Because for a lot of people who come out this may be the only (orchestral) concert they’ll attend all year. And we want to make it good,” Gardner said.

While the event is free to spectators, it isn’t free to put on. The sixth annual Night at the Bowl fundraiser will be Tuesday, June 14. The event includes music, restaurant sampling and wine tasting to raise money for MoBand and the city of Modesto’s Parks, Recreation and Neighborhoods Department. Tickets are $35 single or $60 for two in advance, and $40 single at the gate.

This year, the nonprofit MoBand board is also working to raise funds for the rehabilitation of the seating in Mancini Bowl. The campaign, which started last year, seeks to raise some $350,000 to replace about 70 percent of seating in the bowl – primarily the old folding-chair sections. A MoBand booth will be set up at each show to accept donations for the project. The goal, said Steven Perry, MoBand board secretary and vice president, is to have them installed before the start of the 2017 season.

“People enjoy the park. Some come purely for the music, but everyone there also has a social good time with friends and neighbors. So we want to revive the bowl,” Perry said. “We feel we’re the primary resident in the bowl and need to help them do it.”

For Gardner, who starts planning the new season’s theme before Christmas each year, this time of year is always one of his favorites. After all that work, it’s finally time to get on with the show.

“I’m anxious for it to get going. All the music is in the folders. I’m ready for the band to show up,” he said.

This story was originally published May 31, 2016 at 5:22 PM with the headline "MoBand keeps the music and blankets coming in Modesto."