1983
After the West Bend Independence Day parade, John Searle, a member of local choir and theater groups, questioned why there wasn’t an adult West Bend band. That December, he met with David Schleif, orchestra director for the West Bend School District, and four other area musicians and the band was formally organized.
1984
The first rehearsal was held in the spring, followed by the first concert at Old Settler’s Park on June 28. The band’s first parade appearance was July 4 of that year. Later that year, the “Brass Ensemble” formed, performing Christmas and holiday music. In 1990, the ensemble was renamed “River City Christmas Brass”.
1986
The “RCI German Band” ensemble formed, performing authentic German blasmusik. In later years, the ensemble was renamed “River City Blaskapelle” (Blaskapelle meaning “brass band”).
Band Name
The name “River City Irregulars” was a name that John Searle developed and introduced. His reasoning behind choosing this name was two fold.
Seeing that West Bend was attractive to settlers because of its location on the Milwaukee River, the band would attract musicians from all different walks of life. This is similar to how the Irregular Army was formed during the Revolutionary War, using bakers, candlestick makers, farmers, shop owners and others. In a similar way, the band would be composed of teachers, doctors, factory workers, engineers and others.
The similarities were present, thus the name “River City Irregulars” was born.
History
Directors
| Period | Director |
| 1984-2003 | David Schleif |
| 2004-2004 | Keith Reynolds |
| 2005-2014 | Dr. Daniel Ackley |
| 2014-2015 | Mitchell Milligan |
| 2016-2021 | Bill Berlyn |
| 2022-Present | Pamela Harrison |
Assistant Directors
- Bart Fojtik
- Joe Pieper
- Karen Wachholz
