The musicians of the Ontario Chaffey Community Show Band to start their 40th Concert Season with a show titled “Back To Our Roots” on Monday, September 15, 2025 at 7:30 p.m. This milestone performance will be held at historic Gardiner W. Spring Auditorium on the campus of Chaffey High School located at 1245 N. Euclid Ave. in Ontario, CA. The Woodwind Celebration Ensemble will present a pre-concert recital at 7:00 p.m. Complimentary coffee and cookies will be served in the lobby prior to the concert. The performance is free to the public.
The concert will be filled with musical highlights from the 40 years of Show Band entertainment performed for the City of Ontario and its surrounding communities. On tap are a repertoire of various music genres including marches, swing, rock ‘n’ roll, and Latin music. The announcers for this special concert will be Steve and Ruth Groethe, who have a special tie with the history of the Show Band, that is to be revealed exclusively to those who attend the concert!
One of the earliest compositions selected for the concert is a trumpet trio entitled “A Trumpet Celebration” by James Curnrow. The trio of trumpeters performing this composition will be David Grasmick, Steve Collins, and Mike Pfister. This piece was chosen by the showband’s founding director, Jack Mercer, a trumpeter himself.
The concert will feature two singers that are well known to the Show Band concert attendees, Brian Detwiler and Marilyne Sherwood. Each singer has performed many times with the Show Band over the years and that night they’ll be singing some of the first tunes they sang with the Show Band. Marilyne is to offer a rendition of “You Made Me Love You.” Brian will sing the first song he sang with the Show Band… “Blue Skies.”
Two of the long-standing members of the Show Band who will be performing are saxophonist/violinist Francisco Mowatt and dancer/musician Kathy Soderlund. Kathy will be featured dancing to “Besame Mucho” and Francisco will be featured on his alto saxophone.
The musicians of the Show Band will be featured on several selections, including “Charter Oak” March, “Disney Medley” to be conducted by assistant director David Grasmick, “Swings The Thing” to be conducted by assistant director Dave Schaafsma, a rock medley titled “Big Fun In The Sun,” and “The Bandmaster” written by Director Emeritus Dr. Gabe Petrocelli for the retirement of the showband’s founder, R. Jack Mercer.
Please be sure to join us for a wonderful evening of music and the start of our 2025-2026 concert season. Do not forget to invite your family and friends! You can also support the Show Band by visiting and feeding our Hungry Tuba located in the lobby. The concert will be broadcast on local Ontario cable Channel 3. Check your cable listings for the date and time.
The Ontario Chaffey Community Show Band was founded in 1985 by R. Jack Mercer and is now under the direction of Patrick Arnold with assistant directors Dave Schaafsma and David Grasmick. Band members represent at least two dozen communities throughout Southern California. Adult musicians and students are invited to participate. Rehearsals are held on Monday evenings from 7 to 9:00 p.m. at the Chaffey High School ‘Jack Mercer’ Band Room. The band performs monthly concerts on the campus of Chaffey High School as well as at other venues throughout the community. All performances are free to the public.
For more information about the concert visit the Show Band website at www.showband.net or contact Patrick Arnold at pt@showband.net. The “Friends of the Ontario Chaffey Community Show Band” is a registered charity under Internal Revenue Code Section 501 (c)(3); EIN # 46-1422958. Donations are welcomed. Checks may be made out to: Friends of the OCCSB, P.O. Box 1512, Ontario, CA 91762. Concert goers interested in being included on the Show Band mailing list are encouraged to fill out an information card at our events. Be sure to follow the Show Band on Facebook, X, Instagram, YouTube, and our website at www.showband.net.