Kingsburg Band summer concerts canceled due to COVID-19

KINGSBURG, Calif. (KFSN) -- Kingsburg is a town steeped in tradition.

For generations, families in the city have enjoyed free summer concerts in the park.

But the long-running summer favorite had to be canceled.

The sounds of the Kingsburg City Band have been silenced by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The summer concert series dates back to 1887 when the town was just 15 years old.

Families have packed into Kingsburg Memorial Park for an evening of music for decades.

Dale Engstrom has served as Band Director for the past 43 years.

"My grandpa used to play in the band and they used to have it on Saturday nights instead of Thursday nights. I used to hand out ice cream and my mom used to hand out programs," says Engstrom.

Engstrom followed in his father Wally's footsteps as band director.

As many as 5,000 people would take in the concerts every June and July but not this year.

Keeping people safe was the priority.

The 60-member community band is made up of farmers, bankers, doctors as well as musicians.

To fill the void, concerts from previous years will be shown on the KingsburgBand.com website.