Marquette City Band

From the 1860’s to 1900 immigrant bands made up of Cornish (e.g., the English Oak Band), Finnish, Swedish, German, and Italian musicians marched in parades and presented concerts in and around Marquette, Negaunee and Ishpeming. In the fall of 1887, the first official Marquette City Band was established when the entire Calumet Eureka Band, consisting of 14 members, was invited to move permanently from Calumet to Marquette.

In 1929, John Longyear, Jr. circulated a petition and presented a plan to the city council for municipal funding to reestablish the band after a period of dormancy. The voters approved the measure, and Martin Johnson directed their first performance in 1929. The band has had an unbroken record of performance since then.