Kokomo Park Band returns July 8 with instrument petting zoo

The Kokomo Park Band will continue its “America at 250” concert series on Wednesday, July 8, 2026, with a high-flying performance themed “American Innovation—The Birth of Flight.”

The evening takes off at 6:30 p.m. with an Instrument Petting Zoo where children are given the opportunity to explore various band and orchestra instruments. This engaging activity is presented in partnership with the Kokomo Symphony and Sound of Music store.

The free concert will commence at 7:30 p.m. under the direction of Artistic Director Jay S. Gephart and will feature student solo winner Zander Bowers on clarinet. Craig Trott will serve as guest announcer and master of ceremonies, and the evening’s program is sponsored by Comprehensive Planning Corporation.

Clarinetist Zander Bowers is a senior at Western High School and the winner of the 2026 Kokomo Park Band Student Solo Competition. He studies privately with Terri Cassel, a long-time member of the KPB clarinet section. Bowers’s musical achievements include receiving the 2026 Kokomo Musicale Scholarship, earning selection for the 2026 IBA All-State Honor Band and the 2025 All-State Band, and participating in the IBA Junior All-State Band. He has also attended the Indiana University Summer Music Clinic where he won the Outstanding Member Award in 2025 and was selected to perform in the Honor Recital in 2026.

Additionally, Bowers is a composer who has premiered two concert band pieces and one jazz work with the Western Band and has been a KPB Side-by-Side participant for the past three years. He will perform Ernesto Cavallini’s Adagio and Tarantella (Adagio e Tarantella), a technically demanding piece for which he recently received a perfect score and “Gold with Distinction” at the state level.

The musical selections for the aviation-themed program open with “Visions of Flight” by Robert Sheldon, an uplifting piece that musically captures the sensation of soaring through the air. This is followed by “Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines” by Goodwin, Stuart, and Kelley, a whimsical and nostalgic piece celebrating early, eccentric aviation pioneers.

The band will then perform “Fly Me to the Moon” by Bart Howard and arranged by Tokashi Hoshide, a classic, swinging jazz standard that turns the focus toward lunar exploration. Next on the program is “John Williams: Fantasy of Flight,” arranged by Robert W. Smith, which weaves together iconic, magical flying themes from famous cinematic blockbusters.

The performance continues with “One Giant Leap” by Erik Morales, a dramatic composition honoring the historic milestones of space exploration. Audiences will also hear “Aviators March” by John Philip Sousa, a traditional, high-spirited military march dedicated to early military pilots. The program concludes with selections from Top Gun, arranged by Robert W. Smith, an energetic, contemporary arrangement capturing the speed and intensity of modern fighter jets.

These concerts are produced in cooperation with American Legion Post #6, The Allen Whitehill Clowes Foundation, the Community Foundation of Howard County, The Arts Federation, the Indiana Arts Commission, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the Kokomo Parks Department.

While institutional support is provided, the majority of the band’s funding comes from individual donations. Contributions can be sent to the Kokomo Park Band at PO Box 6039, Kokomo, IN 46904-6039. Further details regarding the ensemble and its schedule are available on their official Facebook page and website.