Chorus History

Since 1961, the Bangor Elks Men's Chorus has entertained the men and women of the Lehigh Valley with its annual variety show. The idea for the chorus was to revive the Elks Minstrel Show which had been popular from the end of World War I until just before the outbreak of World War II. It was decided in 1960 that the Bangor Elks would revive the chorus. The first performance of the rebuilt Bangor Elks Chorus was held on May 5th, 1961 at the old Bangor High School Auditorium on Fourth Street in Bangor, Pennsylvania. When the Bangor High School moved to the outskirts of East Bangor, Pa., so did the performances of the chorus. Our audience in 1998 had the first opportunities to experience the show in extended comfort after the renovation of the Bangor High School Auditorium, compared to the audiences of the old minstrel show who watched the show on wooden seats.

The 1961 show featured Carl Kressler as musical director and Warren Kressler as Master of Ceremonies. "Bing" Maso, Bob Saltern, Jim Gaffney Sr., and Roger Williams were the endmen. The Kresslers retired after the 1965 shows and the1966 shows introduced Paul Peters as Master of Ceremonies and Neil Kline as producer-director. In 1972 Bob Saltern became Master of Ceremonies and remained until his retirement when Jim Wills became M.C. in 1981.  Neil Kline continued as director until the 1987 shows. In 1988, the Chorus came under the direction of Ellis Williams. Whereas Neil Kline for many years brought a sense of showmanship to the Chorus, Ellis Williams has given it a more musical and harmonious feel and sound.  Jim Wills stepped down as Master of Ceremonies after the 2000 show and Bill Craig assumed the role of M.C. in 2001.

The Bangor Elks Chorus celebrated their 50th Anniversary in 2010.