The Ringgold Band at Berks Heritage Center
September 7, 2026 · 10:00 AM · Berks Heritage Center, 1102 Red Bridge Road, Reading · Free admission
About the event
The Ringgold Band brings a morning of concert band music to the Berks Heritage Center, playing through noon as part of a Labor Day celebration. Bring a chair or a blanket and settle in for a program built for listening outdoors.
Formed in Reading in 1852, the Ringgold Band is one of America's first community bands, made up of amateur and professional players, including many music educators, who rehearse together year round. Their programs pull from familiar classics, symphonic overtures, show tunes, and marches, and the band traditionally opens with a march by Monroe A. Althouse, the Berks County composer known locally as Reading's March King.
The band also carries a connection to John Philip Sousa, who conducted the last march of his life in rehearsal with the group in Reading, and concerts typically close with The Stars and Stripes Forever in his memory. It makes for an easygoing holiday weekend outing for families, neighbors, and anyone who enjoys a live band on a late summer morning.
