May
27
Band Concert Programming: Boxing and ... Batons?
I was scanning Crookston Band concert programs from my great-grandfather's scrapbook earlier this week when I saw something I'd never noticed before and laughed out loud (which means something because I'm usually a silently amused person). At a concert on April 19, 1901, listeners were treated to what seems to be an odd juxtaposition of events: band music followed by a boxing match.
The concert featured guest soloists Mr. Jeremiah Schefstad, described as "the finest violinist in the northwestern United States," and soprano Miss Alma Fontaine. And it closed with three 3-minute rounds of boxing between Kid Corbett (weight 60 pounds) and Kid Jeffries (weight 70 pounds).
Kid Eli, left, and Kid Seb, right, recreate the 1901 boxing match after Seb's orchestra concert Tuesday night.
The concert featured guest soloists Mr. Jeremiah Schefstad, described as "the finest violinist in the northwestern United States," and soprano Miss Alma Fontaine. And it closed with three 3-minute rounds of boxing between Kid Corbett (weight 60 pounds) and Kid Jeffries (weight 70 pounds).
Kid Eli, left, and Kid Seb, right, recreate the 1901 boxing match after Seb's orchestra concert Tuesday night.