Rhinelander - Most of us here at Newswatch 12 were walking and throwing candy at today's Independence Day parade in Rhinelander.

But our Ben Meyer wasn't one of them.

He was participating in the parade in a different way. Ben is one of three baritone players in the Rhinelander Area Community Band.

After performing in the Three Lakes parade in Three this morning, they were near the end of the lineup at Rhinelander's version a few hours later. The band is truly a place for musicians of all kinds.

"Our oldest guy is 92, and our youngest is probably 14, and the reason they play is because they enjoy music," said clarinet player Jan Leschke.

""We have people that drive all the way from Sayner, St. Germain, Eagle River, Three Lakes, Tomahawk, one guy from Merrill. The common denominator is that everybody loves to play," said band director Dale Smith.

The music of choice today was a pair of upbeat marches, perfect for the patriotic holiday. But the range of the Community Band's styles is wide.

"We also do concert music, overtures, this year we're doing a theme of dances, so we're doing tangos, rumbas, some things from ballets," Leschke said. "I think the parades are the most fun. Just to see all the people lined up along the street and cheering and clapping and waving, that's what Fourth of July is, that's what small towns are for."

The Community Band plays next Wednesday at Concerts on the Riverwalk in Rhinelander.