The Shelburne Falls Military Band concerts are FREE to the public! Bring a lawn chair and some spare change for refreshments.
The Shelburne Falls Military Band is one of the longest continually operating military bands in the United States. It has played through the Civil War, World War One, the Great Depression, the Second World War, Vietnam, and into the new millennium.
The band began in the fall of 1835 when three farm boys, Martin Merrill, Jonathan Nims and Solomon Merrill, bartered for 2 old clarinets and an old five keyed bugle. By the spring of 1836 they had learned eight tunes and added another clarinet and a bass drum to their number. In May of 1836, the band was hired by the Heath Rifle Company to play for their May training. Each member of the band received the round sum of one dollar.
Band members come from all over Franklin County Massachusetts – and beyond – and are dedicated to keeping alive this New England tradition.
