Big crowd turns out for dedication of band stand renovations, band concert and Mom & Pop’s Pizza
By Jim Beers
CHESTER – Tuesday July 1st was a big night at Ft. Kaskaskia State Park as Park Ranger Shane Wagner hosted a special event to celebrate the recent renovation of the band stand with a band concert which featured the Chester Municipal Band.
Steve Colonel and the 45 person band made the trip to Ft. Kaskaskia to perform and approximately 200 people showed up to enjoy the music. Most Tuesday evenings throughout the summer the band performs at 7 p.m. behind the American Legion in Chester. Colonel and crew moved their entire operation to Ft. Kaskaskia to help commemorate the event at the Fort.
A band spokesperson said, “It was somewhat of an inconvenience to have to haul all of our equipment and chairs to the event, but that’s what we do. Ranger Shane Wagner really wanted us to come and help christen the renovated band stand, so everyone agreed that it would be a nice thing to do.”
“As it turned out, the evening was rather cool and we were in the shade most of the concert. It was really rewarding to look out and see the large crowd that came to see us perform. It was a huge success!”
Another attraction for the evening was the opportunity to taste delicious Mom and Pop’s pizza and bread sticks made possible by the new and up-and-coming local business owned and operated by Rev. Mike Fogerson and his wife, Pam. Thus, they are “Mom and Pop”.
The Fogerson’s business travels around the area for numerous events throughout the year. They have become quite popular with local patrons. An indication of the success of the pizza meals was the fact that pizza dough ran out by 6:30 p.m. and staff had to run back to Chester to secure more dough to finish the evening’s business. The event began at 5:00 p.m. and the last customers were fed at 9:00 p.m. It was a long and very successful night for Mom and Pop’s Pizza.
By 7:00 p.m. much of the hillside leading down to the band stand was lined with people who sat at park picnic tables, or brought lawn chairs on which to sit. Still others enjoyed lounging on blankets. Surrounding the upper bowl area were another 50-75 people who opted not to make the trek down the hill to be close to the band stand and the Muni Band.
Ft. Kaskaskia Park Ranger, Shane Wagner, started the concert off by welcoming everyone to the event and thanking both attendees and the Municipal Band for taking part. Wagner stated that the first event that took place at the park back on July 4, 1892 was a band concert by the “City Band” as it was called back then.
Wagner said that the evening was dedicated to re-introducing the renovations to the band stand. The band stand had been dormant for several years due to a deteriorated roof, unsafe stairs, and some other things. This year those defects have been repaired and the Chester Municipal Band was on hand to be the first to utilize the new and improved performance area.
Wagner further said, “I think that the last time the band stand was used was sometime around 2017. The stand had not been maintained in several years. This summer we sealed the roof, replaced the stairs, and got the electrical system to be fully functional.”
Wagner also mentioned that July 1st, 2025 was the 100th Anniversary of the Department of Natural Resources (DNR).
The Muni Band dedicated the entire concert to patriotic music and gave the crowd one full hour of great classic patriotic songs. Vocalist, Melody Colonel, returned to her home town to sing several selections accompanied by the band.
Discussions took place immediately following the event to possibly host another Municipal Band concert at Ft. Kaskaskia next summer. The band will perform Friday afternoon July 4th at the Kaskaskia Island Patriotic event. They will play a brief pre-event concert at approximately 12:30 p.m. and they will also provide numerous songs throughout the Patriotic Celebration.
The Municipal Band is about halfway through its 2025 Summer Concert Tour. There are still five concerts remaining in the series. The remaining schedule is as follows:
Tuesday July 8: OFF WEEK for Vacations
Tuesday July 15: Concert at American Legion 7:00 p.m. Christmas in July
Tuesday July 22: Concert at American Legion 7:00 p.m.
Tuesday July 29: Concert at American Legion 7:00 p.m.
Tuesday August 5: Concert at Methodist Church 7:00 p.m. (105th Anniversary of the First United Methodist Church in Chester. FREE Ice Cream Social included in Fellowship Hall)
Ft Kaskaskia State Park Ranger Shane Wagner addresses the large crowd at the dedication ceremony of the newly renovated Band Stand at Ft. Kaskaskia Tuesday July 1`, 2025. Dave Eggemeyer Photo
Steve Colonel and the Chester Municipal Band performed the first concert on the newly renovated band stand at Ft Kaskaskia Tuesday July 1. The band stand has been dormant for several year awaiting some much-needed repairs. During the spring and early summer, the band stand received a brand-new set of stairs, some updates to the electrical system, and an overhaul of the roof. A commemoration event was held at the park to celebrate the improvements. Dave Eggemeyer photo
This is a view from the newly renovated band stand at Ft. Kaskaskia State Park Tuesday July 1. The Chester Municipal Band performed a patriotic concert from the band stand to help commemorate the improvements to the band stand. Jim Beers Photo
The upper bowl at the top of the hill from the Ft. Kaskaskia State Park Band Stand was lined with visitors to the Chester Municipal Band Concert Tuesday July 1st. In all, it is estimated that approximately 200 people attended the christening ceremony for te newly renovated Band Stand. Jim Beers Photo
Melody Colonel, former Chester High School music standout and recent University of Illinois at Springfield graduate, was the guest singer at the Chester Municipal Band concert at FT. Kaskaskia Tuesday July 1st. David Eggemeyer Photo
Mom and Pop’s Pizza was extremely busy Tuesday July 1, 2025, at Ft. Kaskaskia State Park when the Chester Municipal Band performed a patriotic concert on the newly renovated band stand at the park. Pizza staff had a hard time keeping up with the orders due to high volume, but the wait was worth it! Jim Beers Photo