BAND HISTORY

This band was started in the early 1980s by Howard Hemmerly. It was originally

organized to provide entertainment for local events, such as the Moravian Manor

Festival and Moravian Church social events.

The group was originally named “The Out-of-Towners” because some of the original

members were not natives of the Lititz area. Later, as the band grew and included

more local players, the name was changed to The Moonlighters. The new name

reflected the fact that most of the players were employed during the day and were

“moonlighting” with the band in the evenings.

The band was managed by Woody Hann into the early 21st century and led musically

by saxophonist Doug LaSala until 2014, when Keith Reifsnyder took over. Doug

LaSala resumed leading the band in 2019. The current business manager is

trumpeter Joe Gagliardi. Musicians in the band come from nearby locations such as

the band’s home of Lititz; from the south—places like Manheim Township and Willow

Street; and from the west—such as Manheim Boro and York County.

See some historical images of the Moonlighters below, some dating back to the

1980s.