Send in the Clowns
Entertaining Coast Guard Festival Audiences Since 1950 By Rob Alway
The Scottville Clown Band has been entertaining West Michigan audiences for over 120 years. Dressed in zany outfits and constantly goofing around, the brass band puts out a powerful sound that is often an event favorite. But, behind those antics comes a very serious mission: to support youth music education. The Scottville Clown Band is an all-volunteer 501(c)(3) non-profit charitable organization. Its roots date back to 1903 in the small town of Scottville, located in Mason County, 10 miles east of Ludington. At that time, a group of merchants loosely formed a band and dressed up as hobos to entertain the town folk at celebrations. They were known as the Scottville Merchants’ Band. Over the next several decades the band grew as it expanded its performance areas. Eventually, it became known as the clown
The Scottville Clown Band began as the Scottville Merchants’ Band in 1903. Here, members gather for a photo in 1910.
band from Scottville with its two cornerstone performances being the Scottville Harvest Festival in the fall and the Ludington Independence Day parade in July. When World War II began, many community festivals were put on pause as many of the town’s young men were deployed. U R B A N ST M AGA Z I N E .CO M
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