The DeKalb Municipal Band lives in history as the oldest municipal band in the country, said Dee Palmer, the band’s director, at its 150th anniversary celebration June 8 at Hopkins Park.

The band has a tradition that dates back to the times of the California Gold Rush, when a small group of musicians formed the Silver Cornet Band.

For the band’s sesquicentennial anniversary, Palmer brought something unique to the celebration; a John Philip Sousa march, “The Transit of Venus,” was dusted off and played for only the third time.

“This march had been lost for more than 100 years and was just discovered at the Library of Congress,” Palmer said. “So I decided that this was the most appropriate march because the celebration and the eclipse of Venus were on the same date.”

Palmer said he has dedicated his life to the band for 56 years, and through those years, the band has been successful for several reasons.

“We attract the finest players in the area,” he said.

The band has benefited, Palmer added, from the quality of NIU’s music staff members who play with them.

Band players are diverse, he said, including both those who are starting their careers and those with decades of experience.

From NIU music performance majors Karen O’Brian and Katie Wiegman, who performed with the band for the first time at the anniversary celebration, to 40-year veteran Roger Ackciert, the composition of the band is diverse, Palmer said.

Ackciert called the band the “best entertainment choice in DeKalb,”

“Each season, we are trying to get better,” he said. “The band tries to reach all ages.”

The band gave fan Betty Badrow enough reason to travel from California for the celebration. She attended the free weekly concerts held at 8 p.m. every Tuesday through August 12 at Hopkins Park on Sycamore Road for years.

Badrow’s husband played with the band for more than 40 years before he died. Now the band is the best remembrance of her husband’s days alive, she said.

“This band is an inspiration of life for me,” Badrow said.