The Webster City Lynx Marching Band from 1976 is pictured in their purple and gold uniforms.

Webster City soon will be filled with the nostalgic sound of music.

It will come from reunited Webster City High School band members who will pay homage to their own award-winning marching days under the direction of Jay Nugent.

Their reunion will be the weekend of April 19-21.

The early to late 1970s were an exciting period for the band students of Nugent, who came to Webster City to take over the Webster City High School band program. He first taught in Laurens, then spent three years in the U.S. Army bands. After his discharge, he enrolled at Drake University to complete a master’s degree in music. He taught in Vinton for two years.

Then he got a call to consider Webster City.

Succeeding long-time band instructor Tory Antimuro, Nugent inherited students who were well-trained from Antimuros’ devotion to the band program. Between him, Richard Goettsch and Rosetta Nerem, who taught elementary band lessons, the program had a great foundation. In Webster City, by high school, band students had a unique bond — and a love for performing, either as concert band members, in specialty small groups or in the marching band.

“It was the only real joyful memories of school,” Miriam Nass Carlson said. She is helping to organize the approaching reunion. “I remember always feeling at home in the band room.”

Discussions about a reunion of those band years were batted about at a reunion of the Class of 1978 about six years ago. The Nugents were invited and attended the reunion, as they have for several classes.

The memories that surfaced were something they wanted to share with others.

The casual discussions continued.

But things changed in July of 2023, when a group attended a concert where former WCHS trumpeter Steve Cook was playing with the Al Welsh Orchestra. Carlson, Mike Welsh, Kellie Smith Peterson, Jani Koolhof Deaver, Jerita Peterson Nelson and Cindy Brizius Pangburn met at the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake and their joyful memories sparked an idea. They wanted to continue the discussion with more band students from that era and scheduled a call to discuss a potential reunion.

Carlson, Deaver, Peterson and Pangburn decided they could make it happen.

“COVID had us put a reunion on hold,” Deaver said. “But the first class (of Nugent students) is now having their 50th reunion this year. We decided this would be a good year to reunite the band students. COVID really brought into focus that we needed to plan something to see the people who we shared such great memories with and tell them that we really care about them.”

Jay and Cheri Nugent, who currently live in Clive, lived in Webster City from 1973 to 1978. They will be attending the reunion and bringing some special guests who students from that era will remember.

The Nugents have kept in touch with many students and peers since leaving Webster City. And they are excited about the reunion.

“Webster City was the finest band I ever had,” Nugent said.

He left Webster City to work in sales and finance, but returned to directing at East High in Des Moines after an eight-year break. He directed bands in several other high schools, but finally returned to central Iowa. One of his favorite school bands was Saydel High School.

“Saydel was similar to Webster City with strong student leadership,” he said.

“Webster City had such wonderful students, such mature leadership,” he continued. “The Jazz Band had a real personality, the Wind Ensemble, a smaller select concert band, received No. 1 ratings every year.”

Nugent was able to combine serious musicians and academics with talented musicians who needed a different approach. His competitive spirit served as an inspiration to his band students. Over the years, he drew on his experiences in Webster City and subsequent schools to take on leadership roles with the Iowa Bandmasters Association, serving as president in 2002 and 2003, in addition to teaching at Simpson College. He formally retired in 2018, but can still be coaxed to help out with occasional projects.

In Webster City, Nugent brought a visionary element to the high school band program. During the first year, he started preparing the students to enhance their skills by starting a drum and bugle corps-style marching step, and adding the flare of flags and intricate patterns on the field. By the first summer in 1974, flags were adding color to the field and the Webster City Marching Band began competing with other high school marching bands around the state.

The marching band performances were organized with sections of four students, with one assigned as the leader of each foursome. Their job was to assure their foursome was marching, playing their music, all in step and in line within their group, and the leader made sure they aligned with the other foursomes.

“Each section leader would take a leadership role, many for the first time,” said Deaver. “Kids who were never asked to lead suddenly were, and they rose to the occasion.”

The band program evolved dramatically during those years. Band students had always competed in All State, and honor band programs and usually had a major trip out of state every three years to perform as a marching unit.

But when the Nugents arrived, the focus changed as the style of marching took more work, and the musical routines delivered more punch and excitement. Travel around the state in school buses, sometimes arriving barely in time for performances, made students become efficient in dressing and getting their instruments ready to compete.

“We would pull into a town and the buses would park in a square,” Deaver recalled. “One bus would be used for girls (to change clothes), one for boys, and we would change on the buses.”

The band students would sleep on gym floors in sleeping bags to give maximum time for practice, performances and travel.

The 1974 competition band wore the black and red band uniforms which had been in use since the mid 1960s. The only skirted member was that of the Majorette, who in 1974 was Patsy Anderson Brock. During the summer of 1974, she was joined with flag bearers wearing black turtlenecks, flared black skirts and carrying tall, heavy poles to unfurl flags during the band routines.

New uniforms were in the plans by the second semester, and in April 1975 the purple and gold uniforms debuted at the Iowa State University VEISHA parade.

The competitions during those years were intense and thrilling to watch.

When the tide began to turn toward Webster City earning the highest marks, the enthusiasm for the band program intensified. Their rise was quick; at their first competition, the Mid-Iowa Marching Band Competition in the summer of 1974, they earned a fifth place finish. By the fall of 1974 they earned second place at the Oelwein Marching Band Invitational, and a I rating at the State Marching Band Contest.

During 1975 a Jazz Band was organized; it competed at Jazz festivals around Iowa. Starting at the bottom of the pack, the Webster City band program began earning higher marks, and with those marks greater recognition as the years continued.

The band students didn’t want to just compete, they wanted to excel. The list of awards earned during those years demonstrated their dedication, and drew the attention of out-of-state venues.

A favorite memory and highlight was performing at the Minnesota Vikings football game in the fall of 1977.

Although the classmates from the class of 1978 took on the task of organizing the approaching reunion, the Nugents have been heavily involved. They contributed names of band contacts from each of those classes that they had connected with over the years.

Currently, about 100 band members will be reuniting on that weekend.

The weekend will involve a social evening at the Seneca Street Saloon, 919 Seneca Street, on Friday, April 19. There will be a coffee on Saturday morning, April 20, at the Kendall Young Library, 1201 Willson Avenue, and an open house on Sunday, April 22 at the Ed Prince building on the Hamilton County Fairgrounds. These are all open to the public.

Also during the weekend, band members are invited, but not required, to bring instruments and rehearse together. During the afternoon on Saturday a group photo will be taken, with an evening banquet including a jazz band performance. A Sunday morning brunch will wrap up the band activities.

Those planning to attend the Saturday evening banquet and Sunday morning brunch still have time to reserve a place for either or both. Note: The banquet has been moved to the St Thomas Aquinas Parish Hall, 1000 Des Moines Street at 6:30 p.m. on Saturday. The final open house Sunday at the Ed Prince building on the Hamilton County Fairgrounds will be from noon until 2 p.m.

For more information, you can visit the Facebook page Jay Nugent Band Reunion 4/20/24.