BonnerSprings.com

The Bonner Springs City Band's first concert of the year is tonight, June 12, and as usual, players will include the young and old, veterans of the concerts and tyros.

Part of that diverse group will include a grandfather and grandson, playing together for the first time.

Charles Thomas had played in the City Band previously, but gave it up for a while. Now that he's semiretired, he's ready to play his alto saxophone again.

"It's really fun," Thomas said.

As for deciding to play in the City Band again, Thomas said, "I think we gave each other the motivation to do it," referring to his grandson, Paul Dykes, a Clark Middle School seventh-grader.

Dykes said he's been playing trombone for two years and last year played first chair trombone in the Clark Middle School band.

He's a little nervous, he said, about playing with grown-ups but he's prepared.

"I brought some music home to practice," he said.

Dykes said he likes to play classical and ragtime. As for his grandfather, Thomas said he likes everything from swing to classical to country, and he's been playing since he was in fifth grade, though he gave it up for a spell when he got out of college.

"I didn't play for 20 years," he said.

Thomas also played in the Kicks Band, a swinging big band formerly based in Bonner Springs, but he gave that up when his duties as business manager and attorney required him to attend meetings for the Bonner Springs-Edwardsville School Board when were held. That also discouraged Thomas enough to make him drop out of City Band, he said.

But now he's looking forward to playing again.

Dykes had begun talking in January about them both joining the band.

"I wanted to make sure he was serious," Thomas said. "(Then), I got my horn fixed."

And it's not just any horn; Thomas will be playing the same saxophone he had when he was in seventh grade.

"It sounds good, if you're a decent player," he said. "Now I don't have any excuse."

The Bonner City Band Concert will be at 8:30 p.m. at Kelly Murphy Park, Second and Elm streets. There will be an ice cream social before at 8 p.m., with ice cream and other desserts on sale.

In case of inclement weather, concerts are moved to Bonner Springs High School.

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