The area of Bangor may be small and antiquated, but between its history and culture, Bangor has proven to be anything but uneventful.

In the early days, Bangor’s close knit populous came together for a day, and listened to their large community band.

Highly enjoyable, the original community band paved the way for others, including the Men’s Choir and Bugle Corps.

Unfortunately, as the slate business declined, so did the music. For years, it seemed like music wouldn’t return.

Then came two musicians, Josh and Becky Long.

Together, they created a new community band which would bring music to the entire Slate Belt.

It was the 1990s, and just as new genres like grunge were revitalizing the music world, it was time to bring back music to Bangor.

By the turn of the 21^st century, the band had grown to enormous proportions. It included individuals from all walks of life, with total attendance at approximately sixty people. At that time, the band was more of a marching band, and took part in parades not only across the area, but in New York City as well.

By the early 2000s, the Slate Belt Community Band was even given a large grant from the state, which allowed them to purchase everything they may have needed, from new and elaborate marching uniforms, to new folders to put their music into.

Currently, however, the band has fallen on hard times.

It all began sometime after Becky and Josh retired from the group. A chain reaction ensued as many players exited the band leaving too few to march in parades. Another blow to the group would come within a matter of days, as the members realized that they no longer could pay the high cost of rent at their rehearsal location.

Even with many people leaving, a core group of individuals were determined to keep the group afloat. Within a year, the group was able to relocate their rehearsal site to Roseto’s American Legion where they are able to rent out the space for free— as long as they hold a concert for the veterans’ children.

Today’s Slate Belt Band continues to push the limits of what is possible, and continue to grow and develop.

From time to time, individuals continue to join the band— some professionally trained, others with just a day job.

“Our members enjoy playing music together,” one member said. “We just enjoy socializing and creating music with each other.”

The highlights of their year are the performances. They perform anywhere, free of charge, that holds a community event in which they are invited. These are usually located in and around Bangor, Pen Argyl and East Stroudsburg.

The band usually holds these concerts in mid-December and sometime in late Spring. Anyone who would like to get involved with the music of the Slate Belt should follow the band on Facebook at the Slate Belt Band, or even check out the local newspaper for information.