The Billings Gazette from Billings, Montana • 10

Page 2 IB Regional new 4B Opinion 1C Sports 1D Tuesday, July 16, 1991 Reunion keys on Miles City's Leon Park I MUSIC 'v III rt i ii 'if i If jjij ll Eldest member of community band loves to chime in By RITA MUNZENRIDER Of the Gazette Staff GOOD SOUSA march rings Warren Arey's chimes every time. So do the show tunes, the Christmas carols and the patriotic songs he plays on his xylophone throughout the year with the -fC0! If, -JMrl fa? Gazette photo by J. Mark Kegan Warren Arey puts his xylophone through its paces at his home recently. Friends and acquaintances will be arriving from as far away as California, Florida and Canada to renew old friendships at the Leon Park Reunion to be held in Miles City July 20-21. Leon Park was founded by the Leon brothers, Domi-neck Pete and Louis Bernard.

Both were born in Italy, Domineck in 1886 and Louis in 1888. They left Italy for South America in 1904 and arrived in the United States in 1906, where they settled in Illinois to work in the coal mines. They later ranched in Great Falls, homesteaded in Knowlton in 1922 and a few years later opened a cigar store in Miles City where First National Bank now stands. In 1934, they opened the Leon Park Club three miles east of Miles City. In the winters they ran the business from their home, and in the summer in an open dance pavilion.

In 1938, they enclosed the pavilion to make the Leon Park Nightclub. After working for the Leon brothers for two years, Oscar Maier, along with Frank Stoltz, purchased the business in 1956. Three years later Stoltz sold his share of the business to Maier, who operated it until 1966. During the early years of Leon Park, some of the big name bands who performed there were Jan Garbor, Duke Ellington, Guy Lombardo, the Miller brothers and Lawrence Welk. The nightclub catered to customers from all over northeastern and southeastern Montana, as well as Canada.

During the '50s and '60s, huge crowds enjoyed the music of Slim Whitman, Texas Tyler, Patsy Cline, Little Jimmy Dickins, Jean Arthur, the Sons of the Pioneers and many others. Some of the local bands who performed were Lindy Ness, The Mellowtones, Clancy Majors, Louie Kurtz, The Roadside Ramblers, The Walkers, Konkrights, Texas Slim, Louie Schlautman, Jack Park George Carr and many others, including Jean Dlonhy and his Swinging Canadians. Some of the other attractions of Leon Park were the go cart track and rodeo arena. In the fall of 1966, the club was sold to Harley It burned to the ground March 18, 1968. The reunion for all former employees, bands and customers will be held at the Elks Home in Miles City.

Registration will begin at noon on July 20. A no-host cocktail hour will begin at 6 p.m. followed by dinner at 7 p.m. A jam session featuring former bands will begin at 8:30 p.m. On July 21 a picnic will be held at Riverside Park at 1 p.m.

for anyone who patronized Leon Park. Registration is $35 a couple or $5 each for the picnic only. For reservations, call Bernice Cottom at 232-1051, Irene Maier at 232-3864, Eddie Elhard at 232-6200 or Lillian Gierke at 232-2790. Billings Community Band. "I enjoy it very much, but especially on the good ol Sousa marches," Arey said of his performances with the 55-piece band.

"I add a lot of things that are not written for bells." 1 At 84, the white-haired Arey is the oldest member of the Billings Community Band. Director George Peters remembers that Arey showed up at the first practice when the band formed in 1983. Since then, Arey has missed few rehearsals or concerts. "People in the audience love him" Peters said. "Everyone watches him." Anyone who's seen him play can tell that he's having the time of his life.

His hands sail gracefully as he brings the mallets down to strike each belL His blue eyes sparkling, his face wearing a wide grin, Arey concentrates and sways his head to the beat he's creating. Music started early Just talking about his long life of music-making gets the octogenarian keyed up. It all began when he was 14 years old and living in his native Los Angeles. A school chum provided the inspiration. "I had observed a classmate in grammar school whom I admired very much, and who was musically talented," Arey remembered.

"He played the xylophone and all the percussion instruments. Kenneth Howell was his name. He could play a set of drums in the school orchestra that just wouldn't quit He was just a cracker-jack musician. I learned through my association with him." Then Arey's grandmother made a deal with him that helped his musical career advance further. She told him she would buy him a xylophone if he played the bells at church services for a year.

"And by God, she did," Arey said, describing the beautiful rosewood xylophone, now more than 60 years old. He also received a solid musical education from a "fine drum teacher" at Polytechnic High School in Los Angeles. "She seemed to think I had a little talent," he remembered. bells. After 46 years of marriage, he lost his wife to cancer in the late 1970s.

Later, he looked up his sweetheart from Dallas and traced her to Billings. Frances was divorced, and the two met again, this time cementing their relationship with marriage in 1979 when Arey moved to Billings. In 1980, he dusted off his percussicf instruments for the first time in 20 years, and began making music again with the Al Bedoo Shrine Brass Band in Billings. "I've enjoyed every minute since I've been in it," he said of the brass band. He hasn't quit yet When he heard that a group of local musicians wanted to start a community band, Arey jumped at the chance for another place to play he bells.

He said he'll play with the band "until I get so old I can't make it" So far, he said, he can keep up with the schedule. On the Fourth of July, Arey traveled to Red Lodge in the morning with the Al Bedoo Brass Band to play at the local convalescent home. Then he played in the resort town's annual July 4th parade before picnicking at the cabin of a fellow Shriner. He made it back to Billings with enough time to change clothes and head for the MetraPark Fairgrounds to play with the Billings Community Band for the American Pride Salute program and fireworks. His wife, Frances, said Arey was diagnosed with a bad heart a couple of years ago, but he hasn't let his failing health keep him from ringing his bells with vibrancy.

"I'm sure it's his music that keeps him alive," she said. So in 1927, she sent him and two other young musicians to represent the city of Los Angeles to play in an orchestra at the National Education Association Convention in Dallas, Texas. "Many fine things happened to me as a result," Arey said. The most important was that he met the woman who would eventually become his wife more than 50 years later. At the convention, he met a young teenager named Frances, a Dallas high school sophomore.

He corresponded with her for five years by mail, and even visited her while making side trips from musical tours dur-ing that time. "Then I got a "Dear John" letter," Arey remembered. Frances married somefone else and the two lost contact for years. Arey remained in California and made a living playing percussion instruments with bands and orchestras. He, too, eventually married someone else, and raised a daughter.

"I never made it big time, but for quite a few years I made my money playing," he remembered. "Ahhh, I had a chance to play with some crackerjack musicians," he said shaking his head and smiling at the memories. He didn't even lay down his drum sticks when duty called him to World War II. In 1943-44, he made music with the 660th Air Force Band. Eventually, he began playing only as a hobby.

He made his living at the electrical motor repair shop he owned for 13 years in California, then in a job for Lockheed, and eventually a job at the California Men's Colony, a medium-security prison. r. He and his first wife, an organist, used to play together at church. But after years of playing, he eventually laid down his mallets, silencing his drums and Billings amateur band plays for the fun of it By RITA MUNZENRIDER Of the Gazette Staff Desert Storm letters sought for new book The U.S. Postal Service wants a few good letters to help produce a book that will provide a unique insight into America at war.

"The Letters of Desert Storm," a collection of correspondence to and from American Forces and their families and friends, is scheduled for publication in the fall. In addition, Postal Service researchers plan to include representative letters from American GIs in wars back to the Civil War. Anyone who'd like to share a special letter that captures the emotions of a country at war may send photocopies of the letter and envelope, along with names, addresses and telephone numbers to: Letters of Desert Storm, U.S. Postal Service, 475 L'Enfant Plaza SW, Washington, D.C., 20266-1991. Writers whose letters are selected for publication will be contacted later for the original letters and permission to publish them.

During the Gulf Crisis, postal workers moved 60 million pounds of mail to American forces in the Persian Gulf in what was the largest international mail operation in postal service history. The first few rehearsals were a bit rough, he said, but over the years the band, now averaging 55 pieces year-round, has blended together well. Band members range in age from 18 to 84. Musicians sit wherever they like, and are welcome to play first chair if they feel they are good enough for the honor. "We don't have auditions," Peters said.

"We'll take anybody who really wants to play." The band plays nine concerts a year, which Peters said is "pretty fair for an amateur group made up of volunteer musicians. The Gazette sponsors all concerts, which are free to the public. The year's performance schedule includes a spring, fall and Christmas concert at the Alberta Bair Theatre, the Gazette's annual Fourth of July fireworks display at the MetraPark fairgrounds, a concert at MontanaFair, and two outdoor summer concerts at Pioneer Park. The Billings Community Band's next performance is at 7 30 p.m. on July 31 in Pioneer Park.

Band members practice most Wednesday nights throughout the year at Billings Senior High School. "We really have people who are interested in playing because it takes a lot of time and there's no compensation," Peters said. "Directors get double what the players get," he joked. Peters usually has no trouble recruiting new members for the band. Each time an adult comes into his Grand Avenue store, Peters House of Music, to buy a reed, he asks them if they'd like to join the community band.

Many of them actually do join. "We really need more clarients," said Peters, a clarinetist himself. "That's our biggest problem. We're just fighting for them all the time." FROM HOUSEWIVES to doctors, the Billings Community Band provides amateurs a place to share their music with each other and the public. "It's primarily a fun outfit," said Director George Peters.

"We don't try to be a professional outfit. But we do our best. This is for fun and enjoyment, and sharing our music with the community." Peters, a retired School District 2 music teacher, and other school band directors from the area organized the Billings Community Band in November 1983. "For the first rehearsal, we had almost 100 people show up," Peters remembered. "A lot of people hadn't been playing their instruments in 15 to 25 years." Pet report Organizations Officers elected Eagle Scout The Junior League of Billings Inc.

recently elected Nancy Fisher as its president for the 1991-92 year. Other executive board officers elected were Amy Dunphy, president-elect; Emily Peck, community vice-president; Dan Albert, son of Gene and Becky Albert, recently received the Boy Scout of America's hightest honor, the rank of Eagle Scout. fA 'f I -Ah- 'x Half Pint and Milady Half Pint and Milady are both female, Siamese mix kittens that are seven weeks old. They have had their first shots and come with a certificate to help with the cost of spaying. The kittens can be yours for a $20 adoption fee each.

Call the Animal Welfare League at 248-7308. Albert is a member of Troop 10, sponsored by the American Lutheran Church. He will be a senior at Billings Senior High, and will pursue Aviation Mechanics as a career. 1 Mary Underrlnger, training vice-president; Nancy Powell, financial vice president. The league's project selections for the 1991-92 year are: Greater Rose Park After School Program (GRASP), Heart to Heart, Playground for All Children, School Wide Enrichment and Zoo Montana.

The Junior League of Billings is an organization of women committed to promoting volunteerism and to improving the community through the effective action and leadership of trained volunteers. Derek Sean Smith of Post 2 Boise, Idaho, and formerly of Troop 397 of Billings has been awarded the Rank of Eagle Scout, scouting's highest honor. M' i -1 FISHER president Away at school Graduated Troop 397 of Billings, sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of ALBERT Latter-day Saints, held a court of Eagle Scout honor to award the Eagle badge recently. Smith has been in scouting since 1981. Derek's Eagle Scout Project was for the Billings Animal Shelter.

He built a cabinette and sink with countertops for holding supplies and taking care of the needs of stray animals. Participates in program Melissa Wilson of Billings participated in the recent Moose International Student Congress for Drug and Alcohol Awareness in Anaheim, Calif. Wilson, class of 1993 at Skyview High School represented the Montana Congress held earlier this year. She was chosen by school administrators at the request of Billings Moose Lodge No. 558.

At both the regional and international levels, the participants discussed how to use their teenage power to help children from age 4-9 to help them build resistance to drug use. From thei- discussions, they developed presentations to take to the iildren of their home communities. Larry Porter of Billings has been installed as first vice-president of the Montana Federation of Garden Clubs Inc. The Federation has 50 clubs and over 1,200 members throughout the state. Recently installed officers of the Billings Lions Club are Rich Hannah, president; Jan Struckman, first vice-president; Carl Betts, second vice-president; Doug Hanson, third vice-president; Jerry Leggate, secretary; and Dennis Franklin, treasurer.

Elwln Klrkwood and Phil Shipley were elected as two-year directors. Mike Brock-le and Don Mueller are one-year directors. Also elected were Herb Mangis and Mike Foley as tailtwisters and Peggy Wahl and John Nickels as lion tamers. Three Billings residents were elceted to posts on the Montana Affiliate of the American Heart Association's board of directors. Dr.

Leonard W. Etchart will serve as president-elect during the coming fiscal year. Crls Martin is the incoming chairman of the board. Melba Ro8wurm was elected to her second term as affiliate secretary. Former Billings resident Patrick Richard DuBray has earned a bachelor of arts degree in English from the University of California, Santa Barbara.

DuBray's degree was conferred with honors at UCSB commencement exercises for the College of Letters and Science. DuBray also was presented with the UCSB University Award of Distinction. The award is presented annually to graduating seniors and graduate students who have made an outstanding contribution to student life at UCSB, through achievement in campus or community activities. In addition, DuBray has been awarded a UCSB Graduate Opportunity Fellowship to undertake the Ph.D. program in English at Santa Barbara.

He is working toward the goal of being a professor of English at the university level During his undergraduate career at UCSB, DuBray was named to the dean's list for academic achievement three times. He is the son of F.F. "Dick" and Mary DuBray of Billings. Ann Barry of Billings has earned an associate of arts degree from the Signal Peak Campus of Central Arizona College in Coolidge, Ariz. Barbara Vogel of Billings recently earned a bachelor of science degree from North Dakota State University in Fargo, N.D.

She studied in the the College of Science and Mathematics. Rhett Rleke, a graduate of Billings West High School recently received his bachelor of business administration from the University of San Diego. While at USD, he was on the Dean's list and was president of the Professional Business Association and executive vice president of Alpha Kappa PsL He is the son of Ted and Barbara Rieke of Billings. Dallas Kucera recently graduated from Montana State University with a bachelor of science degree in nursing. She is now employed by St.

Vincent Hospital. She is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Don Ferguson, 310 Sahara Drive. Franklin "Butch" Kucera, recently graduated from Rocky Mountain College, with an associate degree as a paralegal He is the son of Anne Kucera of Lewistown..