All national guard units are required to have a 2-week summer training deployment and for musical units such as the Nebraska Army National Guard’s 43rd Army Band, that means a concert tour.
This year, the 43rd’s tour is of the Panhandle and southwest South Dakota, including a performance at Mount Rushmore National Memorial. All are free, but parking permits may be required for specific venues.
The tour begins tonight in Hay Springs with a 7:00 concert at Sunset Park, followed tomorrow evening at Fort Robinson State Park, also at 7:00 The performance will be on the Parade Grounds in front of the Buffalo Soldiers Barracks. A State Park Entry Permit is required.
The 43rd Army Band then travels to Alliance for a 7:00 concert Sunday in the Sunken Gardens on the west side of the Knight Museum and Sandhills Center.
The musicians will help Hot Springs celebrate the 4th of July with a 6:30 performance at the Mueller Civic Center.
After a day of relaxation in the Black Hills for the guard members on Tuesday, it’s back to the tour at Mount Rushmore, where a parking permit is required. The concert starts at 6:00.
The 43rd Army Bank concludes its training/concert tour with 2 more stops in the Panhandle.
The first is next Thursday in Scottsbluff as part of the Bands on Broadway summer series, 7:00 on the 18th Street Downtown Plaza, with the tour ending a week from tonight at 7:00 in Chadron at the Courthouse as part of Fur Trade Days.
The 43rd Army Band includes the concert band, the Sierra Niner rock/pop group, the country/bluegrass Heartland Revival, a brass band called the Black Hawk Brass, and the small wind ensemble the Sharpshooter Winds.
Commanding and conducting the 43rd and its citizen soldier musicians is Chief Warrant Officer 2nd Class Paul Kenny. The members all went through normal boot camp and are fully qualified soldiers. As musicians, they rehearse one weekend a month.