Franklin Park Band

L to R:  Mike J, John A, Chris Martin (holding guitar), Mike R

Franklin Park's guitarists, John Arendshorst, Mike Reid and Mike Julien, attended a fascinating presentation by C.F. (Chris) Martin IV, the owner and chairman of the C.F. Martin & Co, on May 3 in Grand Rapids.  

Chris Martin and his colleague, Craig Thatcher, displayed and played many special and historical models of Martin Guitars and told the very interesting history of this 190-year old family company, which is located in Nazareth, PA.  If you play guitar (or even if you don't!) you may wish to visit the company's museum there (Martin Guitar Museum).

As a summer-only band, the band's long layoff from Sept-April seems to go on forever.  So, the Franklin Park guys are excited to set a 2-day May rehearsal to get ready for our four shows this summer in Grand Rapids, Valparaiso (IN.) and Marquette.  If you're in the vicinity of Big Whitefish Lake on May 17-18, please drop by our rehearsal to say hi and listen for a while.

Speaking of Marquette, our very humble front man, Bernie, recently found a nice group photo on his wife Mary's phone, taken in August after our show at Marquette's historic Lake Superior Theater.  Thanks, Mary!

The Franklin Park guys are excited to announce that our summer 2023 schedule is now confirmed with a record number of shows (well, 4--we're old and live far apart).  A new highlight of this coming summer's schedule is our first show ever in Indiana, a state that drummer Tom Jones adopted as his home many years ago.  Come join us in Grand Rapids, Valparaiso or Marquette to hear the great sounds and songs of the 1960s, played and sung well.  Details on the SHOWS website page.  Rock On!

The Franklin Park guys were excited yesterday to learn that historic Lake Superior Theater (in the Upper Peninsula's queen city of Marquette) not only wants us back but asked us to do two shows in 2023.

Double the fun!

Don't delay your tickets purchase--Franklin Park's 2022 show there sold out months before the event!  Marquette music fans are great.

See you there on August 23 or 25--or both!

The final show of Franklin Park’s 2022 season was again at historic Lake Superior Theater in Marquette.  The sold out (with a waiting list!) crowd was again very knowledgeable of the great 60s music we play and very warm and appreciative of our performance.  We love playing at LST and were happy to donate our services to this great venue. 

Franklin Park loves Marquette, too.  The UP’s queen city offers a vibrant downtown, two fine breweries (BlackRock’s and Ore Docks), fresh whitefish caught that morning for cooking, memorable hiking in every direction and boating on Lake Superior.  FP loves staying at the Hewitt Onion House Manor (Airbnb), a circa 1890 luxurious house with a large and modern kitchen great for cooking that fresh caught whitefish.  It’s the perfect house for a large group. 

Here’s a few short videos of the show at LST:

With the Beach Boys 60's music show there the night before, the Meijer Gardens crowd was down some in size but certainly not in enthusiasm.  We loved the many folks singing along with our 60's music classics.  And their cheering for our drummer Tom Jones after his drum solo on the Beatles Abbey Road trilogy was wonderful.  As MC Ralston Bowles said "Ringo would be proud".  

Thank you to photographer and fan Terry Zweering for her many great photos of the show.  Here's a few:

Franklin Park's recent second show at Holland's Kollen Park reminded us of the very nice video the City of Holland did a year ago in interviewing our very humble front man, Bernie (link below).  

And the video header picture shows our very talented lead guitarist, John A, putting down his guitar and playing the claves on "And I Love Her".  Claves are known as wood blocks to most of us (and are not small cows :>)

Franklin Park played to a big crowd on a beautiful evening at Kollen Park on Lake Macatawa in our home town of Holland.  Young and old enjoyed the great sounds of the 60s.  It was a great way to start the long July 4th weekend.

Special thanks to Dekkm Productions (Richie Dekker) for providing us with their professional sound system and sound engineers and to the City of Holland which made significant electrical improvements to the historic bandshell at Kollen Park (which we all played on, and dreamed on, as children growing up in Holland). 

It took 12 years after Franklin Park reunited, but we finally found some very old photos of Franklin Park's performance at the State Battle of the Bands, held at Muskegon's LC Walker Arena in May, 1969.  As these photos illustrate, people change in 53 years.  A lot!

Left to right across the stage looking at photos:

Larry Lewis, keyboard (at very far left)

Mike (Mondo) Reid, guitar

Tom Jones, drums

Bernie Rosendahl, vocals/tambourine

John Arendshorst, guitar

Jim Lievense, bass guitar

The guys were excited to learn yesterday that our 1960s music show is confirmed at Holland's beautiful Kollen Park, on the shores of Lake Macatawa.  The great music of the 60s got the 800-person crowd off their chairs, on their feet and dancing last summer.  Join us on July 1 and do it again this year!  Special thanks to the City of Holland's Kemri Hilton for working with us on the date of the show and for her confidence in Franklin Park.