Monday, December 5, 2011

Band music at Laskay in King Township




These two ancient photos of Laskay Union Cornet Band members are sadly unidentified...with two exceptions.   The leader of the band in the top photo is Abraham Carley, who was also a school teacher at Kinghorn.   This photo was taken in 1908 when the fine brass band was always a popular attraction, especially at fall fairs.   The band is posing in front of the Laskay Temperance Hall, which still stands today in an attractively restored fashion.  The gentleman standing in the bottom photo, at the right rear, is Leonard Glass, my wife's maternal grandfather.   Len was born in 1886, so I'm guessing this photo was taken between 1905 and 1910, which is the half-decade of the Laskay band's existence.   The back-drop in the lower photo shows a scene of Niagara Falls and the Maid of the Mist, which began its journeys in 1846.   No doubt the gentlemen of this band were a source of tremendous pride for the citizens of King Township because of both their stirring musicianship and splendid uniforms.