History Museum's 'Strike Up the Band' Exhibit Honored

The city of Joliet issued this news release:

The City of Joliet congratulates the Joliet Area Historical Museum, its Board of Directors and Staff on receiving an Award of Merit from the American Association for State and Local History (AASLH) Leadership in History Awards for its “Strike Up the Band” exhibit.


The AASLH Leadership in History Awards, now in its 68th year, is considered among the most prestigious recognition for achievement in the preservation and interpretation of state and local history.

Joliet’s High School Band is again receiving national honors, this time in the form of a special exhibit about its history, held at the Joliet Area Historical Museum (JAHM). The exhibit, which highlighted the centennial of the Joliet Township High School Band, was featured at the Museum from July 2012 to June 2013.

The Joliet Area Historical Museum was one of only two museums in the State of Illinois to receive the honor of an Award of Merit.

Greg Peerbolte, the Museum’s Executive Director, reflected on the project and the appropriateness of such an award:

“It was precisely because of the Joliet Township High School Band that Joliet was given the title of ‘City of Champions’, so national recognition of an exhibit highlighting the rich history and storied legacy of the band is certainly fitting. The famous American composer John Phillip Sousa himself once described them as the ‘best band in the land’.

“This award is something not just for the Museum, but for the entire community of Joliet, to be proud of, as the exhibit was truly a community project. Furthermore, it will help us build momentum on the overwhelmingly positive response the Museum received from the public as we raise additional funds toward a permanent installation of the exhibit in our main gallery.”

The Museum received a $61,000 grant from the Illinois Department of
Natural Resources to accomplish this, but as Peerbolte noted, additional funds will be needed in order to see that the exhibit can be supplemented by the installation of A/V technology and web-based resources.

The entire project is estimated at $80,000.

“We certainly hope we can count on the support and generosity of the community to see that this world-class project reaches a fitting conclusion by raising the additional funds needed,” Peerbolte said.

Presentation of the Leadership in History Awards, 88 of which were bestowed across the country, will be made at a special banquet during the 2013 AASLH Annual Meeting in Birmingham, Alabama, on Friday, September 20, 2013.

For more information on the award or exhibit, contact the Joliet Area Historical Museum at 815-723-5201.