When NCR closed Old River 13 years ago, Five River MetroParks stepped in. The newly renamed Metro Band performed at Dayton area MetroParks until this year, when it became a victim of the park district’s recent round of budget cuts.
Enter Dayton History, which now operates both Old River and Carillon parks.
Dayton History chief executive Brady Kress said Carillon Historical Park has a tradition of both music and education going back to its founder, Mrs. Edith Deeds, an accomplished pianist and the wife of former NCR executive Col. Edward Deeds.
Dayton History “is the champion for the Deeds’ legacy, and in some ways, it’s like the band is coming home,” Kress said. The band will play concerts at both Old River, which reopened last summer, and Carillon.
The band recruits high school students interested in honing their skills over the summer from all over the Dayton region. Last year, band members came from as far away as Springfield and Mason, said band director Mike Berning.
Berning, who is also band director at Fairmont High School, is only the third director in the 66-year history of the Old River band. All three directors have come from Kettering City Schools.
Students interested in playing for the band can contact Berning at (937) 499-1647 or michael.berning @ketteringschools.org.
Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2437 or jdebrosse@DaytonDailyNews.com.
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