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| Moonlighters Members |
| Sax Section |
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Lance Taylor
Alto Sax | Lance began playing as a sub with the Moonlighters in 1999 and became a regular member in 2001. He started playing the alto saxophone in the fourth grade and enjoyed it so much that he played through high school and college. Lance has lived in Lititz, PA since 1998. He lives with his wife, Aimee, son, Nicholas, and daughter, Courtney. He is the quality assurance manager at Specialty Bakers, a wholesale bakery that manufactures pies in Lititz, PA and cakes in Marysville, PA. Lance had the awesome experience of going to the Rose Bowl in 1995 as the member of the Penn State Blue Band. Both he and his wife are Penn State graduates and avid fans of the Nittany Lions. Go Penn State!
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John Blanck
Alto Sax, Clarinet | In 1988 John, a native son & current resident of Manheim, PA, started playing in the "Out-Of-Towners" band, the predecessor to the "Moonlighters" and has been playing with the band ever since. He has been involved in instrumental music since he began taking clarinet lessons in 1949. During the mid to late 1950's he helped form & play in an 11 piece band, "The Polka Dots", which played big band music, primarily in the Manheim area. After graduating from the Manheim Central High School he went on to receive an engineering degree from Penn State University & an MBA degree from The George Washington University. Recently retired as General Manager, Graybill's Tool & Die, Inc., Manheim, PA, John currently plays in the Lititz Community Band & the Manheim German Band as well as the Moonlighters. |
Kim LaSala
Tenor and Alto Saxes, Clarinet
Band Secretary | Kim started playing with the Moonlighters in the mid-80's. She also has been a member of the Lititz Community Band since 1982. Kim is an organist at Salem U.M.Church in
Manheim and also plays piano. She lives in Lititz, PA and works at Durex Coverings in Brownstown,
PA. Other than music, she enjoys walking, riding bike and cross-country
skiing.
Kim also is a MaryKay Beauty Consultant since 2003. Her website is www.marykay.com/klasala. |
Doug LaSala
Tenor, Alto, and Soprano Saxes, Clarinet
Band Leader | Doug's first job with the Moonlighters was in 1998, subbing on tenor sax. Over time, he became a regular member, and started leading the band in early 2001. He also performs with The Dixielanders, the Lititz Community Band, as well as occasional stints with Bob Troxell's Big Big Jazz Band, the Sound of Roses big band, the Jazz Ministers, and other various dixieland & jazz groups.
Doug lives in Lititz with his wife Kim and son Joe. His day job consists of programming computers for Siemens Health Services in Malvern, PA. In his spare time, he enjoys cross-country skiing with Kim, hanging out with his son Joe, being HersheyPark happy, bunjee jumping, hang gliding, skateboarding, jumping motorcycles, and wrestling alligators.
His lifelong dream involves making a living doing something with music (what, he's not sure, yet!). Someday, when he grows up, he might actually do it (if he ever makes the time to practice!).
To hear some of Doug's recent recordings, and to see where he'll be playing in the area, click here.
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Dan DiSalvi
Bari Sax, Clarinet | I became a full-time member of the Moonlighters in 2006. Before that time I subbed with the band on bari and alto sax. Most of my experience with big bands took place in northern New Jersey, where I played bari sax in four bands. When my wife and I moved to Willow Valley in 2001, I began playing bari in the Lampeter-Strasburg Community Band under the direction of Howard Boots. Later, Howard organized a dance band made up of members of the LS Band and called it Flipside. I still play bari sax in that band. I have also played bari in Bob Troxell's Big Band, and I sub with the Sound of Roses Band on bari, alto, and tenor. I am a full-time member of the Malta Band, playing clarinet most of the time.
Prior to retiring, I was a member of the Kean University (NJ) psychology department for 32 years. In addition I served as a psychological consultant to the Newark and Elizabeth police departments. My doctorate is from the University of Pennsylvania. |
Dave Healey
Alto, Tenor, and Baritone Saxes, Clarinet | Dave has bounced around with the Moonlighters since about 1994, playing alto, tenor, and bari. (Dave thinks we keep moving him to where he is most needed; in reality, we need to keep making room for talented new young
musicians.) Dave has also played with the Lititz Community Band and Bob Troxell's Big Big Jazz Band. In real life, Dave lives in Lititz, PA, but his work as a supply chain software consultant keeps him on the road most of the time and, much to his chagrin, keeps him relegated to substitute duties with the various bands. Dave's other interests include running, reading, religion, Red Sox, & relatives, i.e., his family (not in that order, but the alliteration sounded best that way). |
Dick Mazzur
Bari Sax, Clarinet | After being a failure at piano and trumpet, I took up the clarinet around 1947, then sax a couple of years later. Played in the High School dance band (Woodbridge High School, Woodbridge, NJ) and a local Polka band. Was leader and lead alto player for the “Starliners” big band while at college ( Michigan Tech.). After graduation and a couple of years in the Army came to Lancaster to work as a research chemist for Armstrong Cork Co. Joined the The Malta Band of Lancaster in 1960 and served as director for about 30 years. Was a member of the Bob Troxel BBJB playing alto sax during its formative years and a member of the Bill Dayton Orchestra of Gettysburg in the 1980’s.
Now retired from Armstrong, I’m currently a member of the Malta Band of Lancaster, The Sound of Roses big band, and the Lancaster Senior Orchestra, and a substitute player with the Moonlighters of Lititz, and the Flip Side big band in Lampeter.
Hobbies include woodworking and trying to write big band arrangements of some of the tunes no longer available in print. |
Jack LaClair
Tenor Sax, Clarinet | After schooling and 3 years in the Navy, Jack began a career in personnel work, starting with Alcoa in Connecticut. He later transferred to Lancaster, and then later Pittsburgh. Other employment was with a manufacturer and a hospital before he returned to Lancaster to work at Community Hospital until retiring.
Starting with a youth band in his hometown and other musical groups there and at Penn State, he gained experience playing with dance bands. After returning to Lancaster again, he has played with the Bob Troxell Swing Band since the early 1980s. Jack's smooth tenor sounds have been heard with the Moonlighters since in 2001.
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| Trombone Section |
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Keith Harshaw
Trombone | Keith stated playing with the Moonlighters in 2001 as a substitute, and became lead trombone in 2007. He also plays in the Lititz Community Band. Keith started playing trombone
in 1981 finding his way to the bass trombone in 1984 playing in his high
school's jazz band. Through college he played with the Sesame Place Brass Band in '86 and '87 and
the Millersville University Jazz Band from '86 to '90. After 10 years
away from his horn, he is scrambling to make up lost time.
Keith has a BA in Psychology and BS in Computer Science from
Millersville University. He works for Peripheral's Plus Technologies, Inc. designing and
implementing web-based applications. |
Bob Stormfeltz
Trombone | Bob first started playing trombone with the Moonlighters when Howard Hemmerly was the director - about 1990.
He began playing trombone in 1937/38 when the first Manheim public school band was formed under the direction of the late John H. Enck. Actually, his love for music started long before that when he, about five or six years old, could be found listening to and "directing" the U.S. Navy Band on radio programs during baby sitting afternoons with his Aunt Fannie.
Bob has played with groups such as the Columbia Symphony, Germania Band of Manheim, Manheim Varieteers (Community Band - 1948-1951) and the Elizabethtown College Community Orchestra - all of which no longer exist to his knowledge.
After graduating from Franklin and Marshall College with a degree in Chemistry in 1947, he worked at Raymark Corp., Manheim, PA until retiring in 1988.
A life-long resident of Manheim, he played with the F&M Band under the direction of the late John H. Peifer, Jr. and more recently played with the F&M Community Orchestra under the direction of Dr. Brian Norcross - 1988-2001. Aside from playing with the Moonlighters, he is currently associated with the Moravian Trombone Choir of Lititz - playing trombone and baritone, the Lititz Community Band, German Band of Manheim and assists in various church functions locally.
Part of each summer is spent at a family cottage in northern Vermont along the shores of Lake Champlain. While there, he participates in bands from Williston and Swanton, Vermont. He also sings with the Blue and White singers of F&M - a mostly over 50 year alumni group.
Bob enjoys working with the Manheim Veterans Memorial Ambulance association as an ER - both on emergency and transport crews. |
Marilyn Winfield
Trombone | Marilyn started playing the trombone at age 33 and soon became a member of the Lititz Moravian Trombone Choir. She now holds a BA in Music with the Pedagogy and Performance option from Millersville University of Pennsylvania. Soon after receiving her music degree from Millersville, Marilyn accepted the position as Trombone Choir Director at Lititz Moravian Church. Marilyn also maintains a private teaching studio where she teaches approximately 35-40 students at the Lititz Academy of Music in Lititz, PA. One of the best lessons learned from her first trombone experience is this..."You're never too old to consider doing something new!".
Marilyn has enjoyed playing with the Moonlighters since the group was called the Out of Towners, directed by Mr. Howard Hemmerly. The truth is, she begged Howard to expand the trombone section of the Out of Towners because she loved the sound of the group and wanted to be part of it. Howard liked the idea and soon expanded all of the sections of the smaller combo to form what is now known as the Moonlighters. |
Woody Hann
Trombone
Band Manager | Woody was an original member of the Moonlighters and took over when Howard Hemmerly retired. For several years he was chief cook and bottle washer for the band except for directing. Today he remains as business agent (the one job no one else was willing to take).
He started playing the trombone at age ten and almost sixty years later is still trying. Currently he also plays with the Lititz Community Band and the Lititz Moravian Trombone Choir. In the past he has played with the Lititz High band under the direction of Henry Stiener (who now lives in Luther Acres), the Roherstown Band for 25 years and was an original member of the Bone-fide Brass which was a trombone quartet.
He retired in 1995 from RCA/GE/BURLE after 37 years at hard labor. He had held various positions in the financial department. Fancy way of saying he was a "beancounter". Following graduation from the old Lititz High he attended Moravian College where he received a BS in economics. He also earned graduate credits from Temple University towards an MBA.
Today in retirement his main job is to stay out of his wife's way. This has forced him into many volunteer pursuits. He currently volunteers two days a week at Landis Valley Farm Museum in the gun shop. Also helps with the VITA program which provides income tax assistance to the elderly. He also serves on the board of EARS which is a rehab unit for the handicapped and on the board of Lancaster Red Rose Credit Union. To fill in his spare time he enjoys fishing (better known as drowning worms) and working with his stamp collecting. |
Paul Bowers
Trombone | Paul started playing the trumpet(?) while in grade school and continued through high school and his first year in college. Recognizing that the University at that time had too many trumpet players and not enough trombone players, he purchased a trombone between his freshman and sophomore years, took a few lessons, and went back to school after the summer break ready to play. He was forced to practice more than he planned when he joined a 14 piece dance band. Also, during this time, he frequently played the euphonium (baritone) with the University marching/concert band. After graduating, Paul found a job with Westinghouse in western PA and was also fortunate to fit into a 4 piece combo doubling on trumpet, trombone and vibes. After playing in a combo regularly for 4 years, he moved to Cleveland and then to Lancaster where the emphasis shifted to raising a family.
In 1993, Bob Troxell asked if he was interested in playing in his Big, Big Jazz Band. Although he hadn't played for several years, he dusted off his horn and attended a rehearsal where "things" went better than expected. He has played lead trombone for Troxell's band for the last 5 years, subs with the Moonlighters and plays regularly with the Rohrerstown Concert Band. He is always looking for opportunities to try something new. |
| Trumpet Section |
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Dr. John Bonfield
Trumpet | John can't remember when he started with the Moonlighters but it was early on in the Howard Hemmerly days. Plays trumpet and enjoys being a section member playing any book that needs to be played. Also plays with the Lititz Community Band and a the St. James Brass at St. James church. He's a retired superintendent of schools at Warwick after 21 years of service and now consults with four school districts as president of the J.R. Best Associates educational consulting firm. He enjoys playing with the Moonlighters and subbing in other musical groups as time allows. He just hopes to keep on making music as long as he can. |
Ron Tweed
Trumpet | Ron started playing trumpet in fifth grade at the Thomas Mifflin School in Lancaster, where his first performance was a duet of "My Bonnie Lies Over The Ocean" with another trumpet player whose name has been lost in the mists
of time. After this triumph, his musical career retreated into relative
obscurity until he was turned on to big band music by Mr. Hastings, director
of the Penn Manor concert band and "dance band" as they were known in those
days. Two older sisters, one a Stan Kenton fan, the other a drummer whose
claim to fame was the opening solo in Tommy Dorsey's "Song of India" with the Penn Manor band, were
major influences.
Following graduation, and a brief stint with the Franklin and Marshall
College Marching Band (John Pyfer, martinet), he played with Malta and
Rohrerstown Bands for a number of years, and was a charter member of Bob
Troxell's Big Big Jazz Band, which was organized (if one can apply that
term) in the mid '60's.
Ron retired from Armstrong World Industries in 1993 where he toiled as a lab
technician and computer programmer, and in addition to the The Moonlighters,
plays with The Sound of Roses of Lancaster, and still hasn't been ejected
for bad behavior from the Big Big Jazz Band. Hobbies, other than music,
include woodworking, volunteer work for Habitat for Humanity, for whom he
fabricates and finishes bannister handrails and spindles with several
sawdust-encrusted friends.
When grown-up, he hopes to be either Maynard Ferguson or Doc Severinsen
and/or a big-band arranger, preferably Billy May.
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Rich Hudak
Trumpet | Richard began his fascination with music since being a toddler listening to his father play. He started playing at the age of four on a 12-bass Accordion, which quickly led into playing the full size Accordion and piano. He was able to read music and play by ear. Playing piano for every grammar school activity led him into playing the baritone horn, and subsequently trumpet for the band. Eventually in high-school, he played mostly trumpet and piano for concerts, recitals and orchestra. Richard joined the Palisades Park Fire Department Band during his high school years and continued marching for many years thereafter. At age sixteen he joined a four piece barber-shop quartet with Mr. Doug Lasala (current Moonlighters Band Leader), playing swing music for nursing homes and retirement parties. The fun he had with this quartet lasted for over ten years. Later Richard played the trumpet in “brass quartets” for holiday and church functions which later led into becoming the Church Organist for a number of years. He also played both trumpet and piano in “pit” bands for both high-school and eventually semi-professional musicals such as; “The Sound of Music, The King and I, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum”, etc.
In the early 1980’s Richard married his lovely wife Lisa (the sister of two co-high school band members), and proceeded to raise four wonderful children with her, oldest son Christopher, then Nicole, Jaclyn and eventually Scotty. All of their children play a musical instrument. Richard and his family presently reside in Allentown, PA.
In the early 1990’s, Richard incepted his domestic and international commercial and residential finance firm, Hudak Financial. In limited spare time, Richard loves to fly fish, participate in billiards tournaments, as well as play tennis, mountain bike ride and travel.
After nearly 20 years of being passive with music, once again Richard’s childhood friend, Mr. Doug Lasala, invited him to audition with the Moonlighters Band as a trumpeter. It has been a real pleasure being part of the group, once again enjoying the early passion of his childhood … playing music, with “heart”. |
Skip Walls
Trumpet and Fluegelhorn | Skip started playing with the Moonlighter's when Howard Hemmerly was director. Every summer he enjoys playing with the Lititz Community Band which he joined in the late 1970's when Harold Rothenberger was the director. He also plays taps for veterans funerals as a member of the Red Rose Veterans Honor Guard of Lancaster and has substituted with the Central Pennsylvania Symphony, the Lititz Grace Brethren Church Orchestra and Airborne Brass, the Sound of Roses, the Ephrata Concert Band, and the Malta Band of Lancaster.
He also played with the Lititz Moravian Church Trombone Choir since he started playing trumpet again in 1975-picture of me playing with the trombone choir in the 1950's in the Lititz Moravian Church archives, although he no longer belongs to the Lititz Moravian Church. He uses the word play because he considers himself to be a player, not a musician. Henry Steiner taught him to play trumpet in Junior High School and Jean Doherty got him started again in the 1970's when he rejoined the Lititz Moravian Church. His mother tried to instill her love for music in him, although he was too stupid to recognize it until later in life and now he regrets not listening to her and keeping at it when he was young. He enjoys playing now and hopes to keep doing it for many years.
Skip has worked for Lancaster County-Wide Communications since 1971 in various positions starting as a dispatcher and presently is a Project Analyst. He is a life member of the Lititz Fire Company.He is a First Lieutenant with the Lancaster Composite Squadron 304 of Civil Air Patrol. Skip served as editor of the newsletter and membership chairman for the Pennsylvania Chapter of the Association of Public Safety Communications Officials (APCO) for ten years and is the chairman of the 9-1-1 committee for the Pennsylvania Chapter of APCO and serves on the MLTS/PBX committee for APCO International and the GIS committee of the National Emergency Number Association (NENA). He has received the Key to Lititz from Mayor Pettyjohn for community service. He is also certified as an Emergency Number Professional (ENP) through NENA, an Emergency Medical Dispatcher (EMD) through the National Academy of EMD, and an amateur radio operator (N3JOW). Skip was honorably discharged from the U.S. Army and served in Germany for 2 1/2 years during the Berlin Wall crisis. |
Joe Gagliardi
Trumpet | Joe has been playing big band jazz charts for 30 years, beginning when he was a middle school student in his hometown of Shelton, Connecticut. He graduated from the Hartt School of Music with a degree in Music Management. Joe performed with the After Hours Big Band in Billerica, Massachusetts, for several years while he was a staff member of the New Hampshire Symphony Orchestra.
Joe married his wife, Karen, in 1991 and moved to Tuxedo Park, New York. She believes one of the reasons he did was to be 45 minutes away from Hawthorne, New Jersey. After the wedding, Joe immediately joined the Hawthorne Caballeros Senior Drum and Bugle Corps (which meant rehearsals every Friday night – imagine how well that conversation went). He is extremely proud to have marched with the Cabs in their field presentation of ‘West Side Story’ in 1993 and honored to have been a featured soloist for the Corps that year. Joe was awarded the Caballeros’ 1993 Horn Player of the Year Award. During their time in New York, Joe worked in sales and catalog production with National Educational Music Company (NEMC), a musical instrument catalog retailer.
Joe, Karen, and their 1st daughter Jill moved to Lancaster County in 1996, with their 2nd daughter Rachel on the way. Joe is now a Senior Customer Service Representative with RR Donnelley. In addition to substituting with the Moonlighters, Joe plays with the Flipside Big Band in West Lampeter and substitutes with the Sound of Roses Big Band. Joe is also a member of the Lampeter-Strasburg Community Band. When not playing, Joe can be found either driving the family’s 1956 Continental Mark II, helping Jill to play Benny Goodman’s clarinet solos, or working (stepping) around the horses at Rachel’s youth rodeos. |
| Rhythm Section |
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Neil Crone
Tuba | Neil is a Penn State Capitol Campus graduate who migrated to Lancaster County in the late 70's with his wife, Eileen. They settled here just in time to experience the TMI accident. Nevertheless, they have raised their two children here and have made many friends in the Lititz Moravian Church and in the community.
Neil's tuba playing "career" began very typically. The high school band director said, "Come back here boy, will you please? You're big enough to march with this horn, from now on you're on tuba." That was how he, and many others got started with the "heavy metal".
Today, Neil particularly enjoys playing music with his son, Nelson, who is "coming up" with the trombone. Most of Neil's playing is right here in Lititz with the Moravian Trombone Choir and with the Moonlighters. |
Jim Sheckler
Drums | All his friends call him 'Shecky". He was a drummer for Royaltones (Joe Galie) in Lancaster after moving here with his family in 1962.
Shecky was asked to play drums for Bob Troxell Big Band in 1982.
Unfortunately, he had to quit in 1993 after having five back surgeries in four years.
He started playing again in 1998. Retired in 1999 after 33yrs working for local company.
Shecky had his first couple of rehearsals and engagements with the Moonlighters in the fall of 2001. Hobbies include: Listening to Big Band music, Sun and Fun at the Beach, and, watching his five grandchildren grow up. |
Keith Reifsnyder
Piano | The newest, youngest, and now farthest away member of the Moonlighters' big band, Keith Reifsnyder is a 2006 graduate of Lebanon Valley College in Annville. Until moving to Abingdon, Maryland in September of 2007, Keith was a lifetime resident of Lititz and a 2002 graduate of Warwick High School. He is also an avid sports fan. As a student, Keith was an avid musician, participating in jazz bands and small jazz ensembles at both the high school and collegiate level, including the 7-piece band "#13." He is also a composer and arranger, and has several projects in the works for the Moonlighters. They currently play his Kenton-style ballad "For Me and S.F."
While his primary instrument in college was trumpet, which consumed 10 years of his life in various marching bands (Lititz Community Band, WHS and LVC's "Pride of the Valley"), he serves as the piano player for the Moonlighters and loves every minute of it. He is also too far away to hide things in the tuba on a regular basis; Keith's musical adventures have taken him to Edgewood, Maryland, along the western coast of the Chesapeake, where he serves as the director of bands for Edgewood High School in Harford County.
He enjoys his work, but wishes that he could be back with the Moonlighters as well. Keith will continue to play with them as his schedule allows, and will still have many wonderful performances with this great group. |
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