Greetings! 

Homecoming preparations are in full swing and we are delighted to welcome back Kevin Kastens. The weekend’s events are as follows:

• Thursday, October 24, 2024 – Reception at Voxman Music Building.
• Friday, October 25, 2024 – Homecoming Parade in downtown Iowa City, followed by a family-friendly picnic at the Iowa City Community Recreation Center and opportunities for alumni “pep band” in downtown Iowa City and Iowa River Landing.
• Saturday, October 26, 2024 – Alumni Band “takes back the field”.

You should have received an email in early July with registration information and links, and a reminder in early August. Registration for the Saturday pregame performance closes when we reach 300 registrants and a very limited number of spots remain. There is no limit on the number of participants for the other events but registration for all events closes September 6, 2024. If you haven’t registered, don’t delay…..it’s sure to be a “Thriller” of a weekend!

Alumni pep bands have been very active the past several months with performances for women’s basketball game watches (Quad Cities, Dubuque, Carver Hawkeye Arena). It was fun to do our part to support Bluder’s Bunch in what turned out to be Lisa Bluder’s final season before a much-deserved retirement. Pep bands performed for “Hawkeye Nights” at the Iowa Wild (hockey in Des Moines) and in Kansas City for a Royals vs. Chicago Cubs game where they were also asked to play the national anthem! Other performances were for an Iowa Institute of Sustainability (College of Engineering) event in Dubuque, on the Pentacrest graduation weekend to celebrate the newest Iowa graduates, Coralville Fourth of July Parade, and a Linn County I-Club fall kickoff event. A group of fossils in Dubuque, led by Jeff Eagan, are preparing to perform for their 4th season at Gary Dolphin’s Iron Bar during all Iowa football games. Any tips they collect are donated to local non-profit organizations that support instrumental music. Thank you to Kirk Phillips, Tim Clay, Jeff Eagan, and Steve Jepson for their leadership in organizing and leading these events and to everyone who has participated!

We welcome two new members to the Alumni Band Leadership Board:

Emily (Laverty) Janssen received a BA in Interdepartmental Studies-Health Science and a minor in Music from Iowa in 2020, then graduated with a MPH in Community and Behavioral Health from the University of Iowa College of Public Health in 2023. Currently, Emily is the Prevention Supervisor at Community and Family Resources, a nonprofit organization focusing on the prevention and treatment of substance misuse and problem gambling in Iowa City. She oversees a team of Prevention Specialists providing grant-funded services to 8 different counties in eastern/central Iowa. Emily is a proud trumpet player and was a four-year member of the HMB from 2016-2019, serving as an undergraduate staff member in 2018 and trumpet section leader in 2019. Additionally, Emily participated in the Iowa Pep Band, Concert Band, and is the former President of Sigma Alpha Iota - Zeta Epsilon Chapter. She continues to work with the HMB as a volunteer staff member (a.k.a "The HMBouncer") along with her husband, Michael Janssen (former Drum Major, TA, and mellophone player).

Will Olson played the mellophone from 2012-2017 and was lucky enough to march at two Outback Bowls, the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl and the iconic Rose Bowl. Will says “being a member of the Iowa Hawkeye Marching Band was one of the greatest experiences of my life!” During his five years in the band, he had the honor of being an undergraduate staff member for three years and that leadership experience has served him well professionally. Teaching elementary school is his calling and he’s been a teacher for the past seven years. He taught second grade, fifth grade and sixth grade at three different districts in Iowa: Midland, Springville and Bondurant-Farrar. Recently, he moved to Denver, Colorado with his wife, Liz, and their two dogs, Bernie and Cricket. His current job is a PBIS (Positive Behavior Intervention Systems) Coordinator in the Cherry Creek School District. They love it in Denver, but he is very excited to give back and serve on the Alumni Band Leadership Board.

As of July 1, founding board member and long-time secretary Joan Hippen has rolled off the board. Joan plans to stay involved by helping with committees. THANK YOU, Joan, for all your contributions during the past five years!

To stay up to date on Alumni Band news and pep band performance opportunities, please like and follow the University of Iowa Alumni Band Facebook page.

If you have any questions or would like to volunteer to help wherever need with Alumni Band activities, please send an email to iowaalumniband@gmail.com.

See you at Homecoming!

Go Hawks!

Arlene Houk
President, Alumni Band Leadership Board