Weber County- Do you remember or have ever heard of the Ogden Rodeo Band? Most of us would say no. With the Pioneer Days coming up, Jerry Harrop likes to share his knowledge about a piece of history about the band.
The Union Pacific Band was organized for forty years touring the U.P. Railroad system back in the late 1800’s/early 1900’s. The band was composed of local, talented musicians; later becoming the Ogden Rodeo Band.
Ogden Rodeo Band was a member of the American Federation of Musicians of the United States and Canada, a labor union representing professional musicians in the United States and Canada. Founded in Cincinnati in 1896 as the successor to the "National League of Musicians," the AFM is the largest organization in the world.
Many of the musicians that played in the band also were involved in the Shriner Band at LDS activities, Peach Days parade in Brigham City, Ogden Pioneer Days parade, The Hungry Seven German band, Utah Symphony, and in the Ogden Symphonic Orchestra.
Ogden Rodeo Band played for the All Faces West pageant and the Ogden City Park on Sundays, on the west side of the Ogden City / Weber County Municipal Building. People brought chairs and blankets to place on the lawn below the bandstand for an evening of music. The program always began with the audience standing for the “The Star-Spangled Banner” as it played. There have been several reports of the inmates at the top of the building, where the jail was located at the time, could hear the music of the band.
