WISCONSIN BANDSHELLS AND STANDS
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 Eau Claire

Donald "Sarge" Boyd Bandshell
Much of the following information is summarized from the WI Historical Society, Division of Historic Preservation, State Register of Historic Places Certification Form

​The art deco style Donald "Sarge" Boyd Bandshell was built in 1938.  It is located on the 11 acre Owen Park which is on the west bank of the Chippewa River.  In 1935, the city engineer, Alex Garnock, thought there should be a permanent bandshell for the municipal band.  

The Eau Claire municipal band was led by Donald I. Boyd for many years.  He had come to Eau Claire as the High School Band director in 1929; he loved music, and it overflowed into his organization of the municipal band, which flourished under his leadership.  The first Owen Park concert was reported to be on June 2, 1932, with Mr. Boyd as the director of the band.  The bandshell debuted on June 16, 1938.  It has played regularly at the park since then.  Mr. Boyd remained director until 1984 and passed away in 1985.  In July 1992, the bandshell was rededicated and renamed in his honor.

The bandshell cost was approximately $10,000 with funding for most of the labor costs coming from the Works Progress Administration (WPA) and the remaining from local funds.  There is permanent wooden bench seating for 1,500 people. The bandshell was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2003.  One of the highlights of the bandshell was, and still is, the electrical lighting system - indirect with light bulbs as well as neon light of varied colors, all controlled by the band director from center stage - this took up much of the budget.

Some improvements have happened over time.  In the early 1970s, the interior concrete risers were covered with wood decking, then removed in the late 1980s. In the mid 1970s, the old exterior stucco was removed and replaced with new stucco.  In 2003 the band shell was repainted and roof repairs made.


Today, concerts by the Eau Claire Municipal Band plays regularly on Wednesday evenings at Owen Park's Donald "Sarge" Boyd Bandshell.  On Memorial Day and Veterans Day, patriotic events have also been held.  Festivals and fairs have taken place at the park using the bandshell as a center piece.
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  • About
  • WI Map of Sites
  • Sneak Peek of a Few
  • Index of All by Community
  • Information about Sites A - E
    • Albany
    • Amery
    • Antigo
    • Appleton Jones Park
    • Appleton Pierce Park
    • Ashland
    • Athens
    • Baraboo
    • Belleville
    • Beaver Dam
    • Beloit
    • Berlin
    • Black River Falls
    • Brandon
    • Brodhead
    • Burlington
    • Chippewa Falls Irvine Park
    • Chippewa Falls Riverfront Park
    • Cedarburg
    • Clear Lake
    • DeForest
    • Delavan
    • Durand
    • Eagle River
    • East Troy
    • Eau Claire
    • Edgerton
    • Egg Harbor
    • Elkhorn
  • Information about Sites F - J
    • Florence
    • Fond du Lac Buttermilk Creek Park
    • Fond du Lac Lakeside Park
    • Fort Atkinson
    • Franklin
    • Galesville
    • Germantown
    • Glendale
    • Grafton
    • Green Bay Botanical Garden
    • Green Bay St. James Park
    • Green Lake
    • Greendale
    • Greenfield
    • Hartford
    • Hartland
    • Holmen
    • Hudson
    • Hustisford
    • Janesville Marvin W. Roth Commnity Pavilion
    • Janesville JP Cullen Memorial Pavilion and Cope-Ryan Pavilion
    • Jefferson
  • Information about Sites K - Me
    • Kenosha
    • Kewaunee
    • Kimberly
    • King
    • Kohler
    • La Crosse
    • Ladysmith
    • Lake Geneva
    • Lake Mills
    • Lebanon
    • Madison Orton Park
    • Madison U of WI Union Terrace
    • Manawa
    • Manitowoc
    • Marinette
    • Marshall
    • Marshfield Columbia Park
    • Marshfield Wenzel Family Plaza
    • Mazomanie
    • Menomonee Falls
    • Menomonie
    • Mequon
    • Merrill
  • Information about Sites Mi - Q
    • Milwaukee 3rd Ward
    • Milwaukee Humboldt Park
    • Milwaukee Indaba Bandshell
    • Milwaukee Kilbourn-Kadish Park
    • Milwaukee Lake Park
    • Milwaukee Peck Pavilion
    • Milwaukee Pere Marquette Park
    • Milwaukee Victory Over Violence Park
    • Milwaukee Washington Park
    • Milwaukee Zeidler Union Square
    • Monroe
    • Mosinee
    • Neillsville
    • Oconomowoc
    • Oostburg Bandstand
    • Oostburg Bandshell
    • Oregon
    • Oshkosh
    • Osseo
    • Peshtigo
    • Phillips
    • Platteville
    • Plover
    • Plymouth
    • Port Washington
  • Information about Sites R - S
    • Racine North Beach
    • Racine Zoo
    • Readstown
    • Reedsburg
    • Rice Lake
    • Richland Center
    • Ripon
    • Sauk City
    • Saukville
    • Seymour
    • Shawano
    • Sheboygan City Green
    • Sheboygan Fountain Park
    • Sheboygan Lake View Park
    • Shell Lake
    • Siren
    • Sister Bay Gazebo/ Bandstand
    • Sister Bay Bandshell
    • Solon Springs
    • Sparta
    • Spring Green
    • Stevens Point
    • Stoughton
    • Stratford
    • Sturgeon Bay
    • Superior
  • Information about Sites T - Z
    • Thiensville
    • Tigerton
    • Tomah
    • Two Rivers Central Memorial Park
    • Two Rivers Neshota Park
    • Wabeno
    • Waterloo Firemen's Park
    • Waterloo Veteran's Memorial Park
    • Watertown
    • Waukesha
    • Waunakee
    • Waupaca
    • Waupaca Rotary Riverview Park
    • Wausau 400 BLOCK
    • Wausau Hammond Park
    • Wausau Marathon Park
    • Wauwatosa
    • West Bend Old Settlers Triangle Park
    • West Bend Strachota Bandstand
    • West Bend Silver Lining Stage
    • Whitehall
    • Williams Bay Ferro Pavilion
    • Wi Dells
    • WI Rapids
    • Wittenberg