Hays CVB

It’s not often that Hays hosts a musical group whose concerts – by law – must be free and open to the public.
That is the case with the 35th Infantry Division Army Band, based out of Olathe.

Sergeant First Class Nathan Fabrizius, a Fort Hays State University graduate, schedules performances for the group. “I’ve been trying to get them out to Hays for a while,” said Fabrizius, who plays piano for the group’s jazz combo and trombone for its concert band.

The 35th Infantry Division Army Band, established in 1922, is a unit of the Kansas Army National Guard and is made up of 37 citizen soldiers. Members from Kansas, Missouri, and Nebraska meet one weekend a month to practice and 2 weeks in the summer.

While the band performs at community events and military ceremonies throughout the year, summer is their primary touring season.

The unit divides into smaller groups including a rock band, two brass quintets, a woodwind quintet, a small brass band, and a jazz combo. The band’s main group is its concert band which plays concert music, pop, classical, and big band selections.

The band will perform multiple free concerts in Hays, with the largest being the concert band performance at 7 p.m. Monday, July 16, at Beach/Schmidt Performing Arts Center on the FHSU campus.

The full schedule is as follows:
Bullseye Brass Quintet
July 16, Noon
Hays Public Library, Schmidt Gallery

Concert Band
July 16, 7 p.m.
Beach/Schmidt Performing Arts Center

Jazz Combo
July 17, Noon
Hays Public Library, Schmidt Gallery

Heartland Brass Quintet & Prairie Winds Quintet
July 18, 11 a.m.–1 p.m.
Historic Fort Hays Site

Hard to Handle: Military Rock Concert
July 19, Noon
Hays Public Library, Schmidt Gallery

Events at the Hays Public Library will include free lunch for the first 30 guests.