A Little Over 130 Years Ago...
The Lee County Community Band was originally formed on November 21, 1885 under the name of the Fort Myers Brass Band. The first order of business was to purchase instruments, which arrived a couple of months later and were bought with donations received from fellow citizens of the newly incorporated city of Fort Myers. Weekly rehearsals began at the home of Mrs. S.E. Titus, but before long the neighbors complained so loudly that the band was banished to the end of the town dock for rehearsals. The first public performance of the band was March 25, 1886 when it marched to Seminole Lodge and serenaded Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Edison who had recently moved into their new winter home in Fort Myers. Sometime afterwards, the band was renamed the Fort Myers Military Band.
Fast Forward Almost 100 Years
The band that is known today as the Lee County Community Band was incorporated as a 501(c)3 non-profit organization in 1982. There have been many changes along the way but one thing has been kept constant–our commitment to bring quality musical entertainment to the Lee County Community and to never charge a fee to attend our concerts. We perform six concerts during any given season, which runs from November of the current year to April of the following year, to a near capacity audience at the auditorium of the Mariner High School in Cape Coral. Our sixty plus members are amateurs, semi-professional and professional musicians who graciously volunteer their time and talent to share their love of music with our concert attendees, just as the original members of the Fort Myers Brass Band did over 130 years ago, making the band one of the oldest surviving community bands in the USA. Please visit our concert calendar page so you can join us for our next concert.