Benton, Ill. (September 13, 2022) — Fifty years have passed since the original dedication of Rend Lake. The Rend College Band helped commemorate this milestone by playing music for the 50th-anniversary celebration this past Saturday.
In 1972, the first Rend Lake College Band played music at the original dedication of the 19,000-acre lake with 162 miles of shoreline sprawling across Franklin and Jefferson counties in Southern Illinois. The reservoir lake not only hosts millions of annual visitors but also is responsible for supplying more than 15,000,000 gallons of water daily to 300,000 in 60 communities.
Rend Lake College Band and community members perform during the Rend Lake 50th Anniversary Dedication.
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"It's odd, to be honest," said Bill Reynolds, RLC Band Conductor. "I was a student, playing in the first band at the original ceremony. To conduct these students during the 50th-anniversary dedication ceremony is quite special."
Bill Reynolds, Rend Lake College Music Instructor, conducting the RLC band during the Rend Lake 50th Anniversary Dedication.
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The event began with a preshow of music as guests entered the tent at the Visitor's Center at the West end of the Dam. Then students Korben Cox of Benton, and Jakob Maher of Mt. Vernon, played drumlines for the Posting of the Colors practice as David Freeman of the American Legion Post 177 presented the flag. The band continued with a flawless performance of the Star Spangled Banner. RLC student Daniel Garavaglia of Pinckneyville performed the Bugle calls.
(Pictured L-R) Rend Lake College Student David Garavaglia of Pinckneyville, Korben Cox of Benton, Jakob Maher of Mt. Vernon, Bill Reynolds, Rend Lake College Music Instructor, and David Freeman, American Legion Post 177.
Reynolds, who is currently filling in for RLC Music Professor Sarah Sanders, mentioned that he was proud of all of the students and thankful to the community members for their efforts in making the performance a success.
If you would like to learn more about the music programs at Rend Lake College, visit online at rlc.edu/music.
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