Historic Annville band looks for community help to repair band hall

The Washington Band of Annville is fundraising to restore its historic band hall at 35 N. Lancaster St. They are halfway to their $20,000 goal and are looking for public support to finish the job by the end of the campaign on April 30.

The band was formed on Aug. 2, 1856, when nine Annville men joined to create a music community in Lebanon County. This “cornet band,” lead by John Henning, rehearsed in a tavern known as the Washington House, hence the name the Washington Cornet Band of Annville.

The band now has around 50 members, whose experience has ranged from high school students to experienced players in their 80s looking to keep their musical passion.

Band members said the group’s 90-year-old band hall needs structural repairs and facility upgrades to make sure it can continue to serve local musicians and the community.

“About a year ago, we got this email saying that there was growing concern about the repair of the band hall and should they basically do a renovation or sell it?” trumpeter Tim Quinn said. “To me, this facility is like if we lived in France and the Eiffel Tower was in our backyard and we just got used to it. When I saw the idea of selling it, we just thought, my gosh, we have to get involved.”

They solicited donations from other band members, who got them about halfway to the $20,000 goal. Even though they’re close to finishing, Quinn said they purposefully set the goal low so it was achievable.

He estimated it would cost about $120,000 to do all of the necessary repairs. The first things they need to address is the metal roof, which is rusted, and the flat roof over the office, which he said has been “shot for a while.”

“It has to be pressure washed, cleaned, and then repaired where there are places it’s damaged,” Quinn said of the sloped roof over the main part of the hall. “Then it has to have a sealant paint put on the whole thing.”

He said once that roof is addressed, they also need to work on the flat roof over the office, which has been damaged by water runoff.

These repair costs are on top of the about $10,000 he said it takes to run the building each year, such as sewer bills, electricity, and heating.

Diane Quinn, a percussionist in the band, said they have plenty more thermometers to fill out, marking how close they are to their goal.

She said she joined the band about two years ago and, like her husband, she got involved in fundraising effort to keep the building up and running. 

The 160-year-plus history of the band is just one of the reasons they’re asking for local financial help.

“I think one thing that makes this particular band special is the fact that it’s been around for so long,” Diane Quinn said. “Pretty much throughout history, there’s been a Washington Band of Annville of folks coming together like this. This is an institution and something that not all communities can offer.”

The band holds concerts throughout the community. These shows used to be more common, but they now venture out about once a month for events like the Memorial Day service, church picnics, and Historic Old Annville Day.

The band hall is used to practice and refine songs before sharing them with the community.

Diane Quinn said live music is a unique experience compared to listening to music in other ways.

“You have a human reaction to what you’re listening to, whether you’re tapping your feet or clapping your hands, or you’re just remembering the last time you heard that song,” she said. “It’s a multisensory experience that you can just come and let yourself be immersed in the music and forget your troubles, and that’s something you don’t get by just listening in your car and your earbuds. The fact that you’re there to experience it live and with other folks makes it special.”

Keith Kreamer, a tuba player who started with the band in the 1960s, said he joined on his band director’s recommendation.

Playing an instrument can teach discipline, the importance of practice, and self-confidence. But after leaving school programs, many stop playing.

“Unfortunately, once they leave high school, for many of them, there is no other outlet for music expression,” he said.

Kreamer said they aren’t looking to make major changes — the building will still be relatively the same with one large room for everyone to practice, a small office, and some closets. The renovations are just to keep the building functional.

“There’s no glamor to our list,” Tim Quinn added. 

He said he’s spoken to many local business owners who understand the importance of history and community involvement. Even if they don’t donate right away, he said they express their support.

“If people are thinking, ‘Well, why should we donate to this building?’ It’s a pretty good bet because we’ve been around longer than almost anything else around,” he said. “It’s the stability and the continuation of this.”

Anyone looking to contribute can donate online or by mail. Checks should be payable to the “Washington Band of Annville” and be sent to the Washington Band of Annville, 35 N. Lancaster St., Annville, PA 17003.