Unforgettable Big Band

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Unforgettable Big Band

The Unforgettable Big Band is a community big band from York, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 2000 and plays a mix of swing, pop, rock, country, patriotic songs, opera, and other big-band tunes, old and new.

Origins and growth
The band started in the summer of 2000 when saxophonist Steve Spangler gathered a small group of local musicians in his Lake Meade, Adams County home in East Berlin, Pennsylvania. With help from Jim Spark, the music director at First Presbyterian Church in York, the group grew. Spangler became the band manager. Their first public performance was a charity fundraiser for the Lake Meade Homeowners Association, which later became a regular event. As the band grew, they added a sound system and stage lighting, and rehearsals moved to First Presbyterian Church.

Community work and performance venues
Early shows supported World War II veterans and local charities. Over time, the band has supported Habitat for Humanity, the Shriners, and Wounded Warriors of PA, and also performs at local theaters.

Leadership and reach
In the late 2000s, clarinetist and saxophonist Thom McLaughlin became musical director, with Lindy Mack as assistant director and arranger. The band expanded its regional presence, playing at events such as the Les Brown Festival in Tower City, the National Cherry Blossom Festival in Washington, D.C., and the Sinatra Centennial Celebration in Hoboken. The group later became a nonprofit focused on education and the preservation of big band music.

Awards and recognition
The Unforgettable Big Band has won two Central Pennsylvania Music Awards. In 2019, they won Best Variety/Dance Band. In 2021, they earned the Cover-to-Cover Award for Fighter, a piece arranged by Lindy Mack.

Band structure and governance
The band uses a traditional big band setup with saxophones, trumpets, trombones, a rhythm section, and vocalists. It is incorporated and run by bylaws, with an officer board elected each year. The board selects the musical director, who in turn selects an assistant musical director.

Recordings
The Unforgettable Big Band has released several albums and singles on streaming services and on CD.