CONCERT … Bard Manufacturing sponsored the musical group Sidewalk Prophets for Saturday evenings free community performance. Pictured above are Sidewalk Prophets members along with Bard Owners before the performance. (Left to Right) David Frey, Daniel Macal, Pam Bard Steel, Bill Steel, Cal Joslin, Rains Well, and Blake Bratton. (PHOTO PROVIDED / THE VILLAGE REPORTER)
By: Jenna Frisby
THE VILLAGE REPORTER
publisher@thevillagereporter.com
In celebration of their 110th anniversary, Bard Manufacturing Company, Inc. exclusively sponsored, with the help of the Fountain City Amphitheater, The Sidewalk Prophets on Saturday, June 1st at 7:00 p.m.
While the event was originally going to be held at the Fountain City Amphitheater, an outdoor venue, due to the rain forecasted, with less than 12 hours left to make a decision they moved the location to the indoor auditorium at the Bryan Arts and Education Center. This switch was made possible because of the school donating the building’s use for the event.
After welcoming everyone to the event, Bard owners Pam Bard Steel and Bill Steel, shared how thankful they were for the community they get to be a part of. From everyone pulling things together to make this event happen to last minute changes that were carried out so well, the community as a whole truly came together to see the event happen.
Bill Steel then led the packed auditorium, with over 700 in attendance, in a prayer thanking God for the event and for the musical talents He has given to the band to share with others. After Bill’s prayer he and Pam welcomed the band.
The band entered onto the stage one member at a time each having a solo in their respective musical talents from the drums, to piano, to guitar, to bass, and to vocals.
The 90-minute concert, featuring The Sidewalk Prophets, was a spiritually powerful event in which God’s presence was welcomed from the very start.
The Sidewalk Prophets currently consist of five members: David Frey, Daniel Macal, Cal Joslin, Blake Bratton, and Rains Wall.
The band originally started in 2003 after Frey and another original member, Ben McDonald, met leading chapel worship together in college at Anderson University in Indiana.
While McDonald has stepped down from being on stage in the band, he still works closely with the band helping with songwriting and serving as their manager.
The band had released three major studio albums and five #1 hits along with eight other songs which have landed in the music ratings top 5 charts.
Their album These Simple Truths landed them their first World Records release which in turn eventually led them to a Dove Award for New Artist of the Year in 2010.
The band’s vision has always remained the same through it all “Authentically sharing Christ. Creatively inspiring Hope. Joyfully making everyone feel like someone.”
They did just that on Saturday evening as they performed not just for the crowd within the auditorium, but with them. There were continuous moments where everyone’s hands were raised in worship to God, and other moments where everyone felt God’s presence within those walls.
Lives were visibly changed from the experience created on Saturday evening, which was only possible because of the intuitive that started with Pam Bard Steel and Bill Steel.
Bard Manufacturing started back in 1914 with Dale Bard working in a tin shop in Bryan, Ohio. Today the company holds three locations in North America as well as a global customer base.
PERFORMANCE … Sidewalk Prophets performed to a full auditorium Saturday evening at the Bryan Arts and Education Center after a change of location due to rain. The event was solely sponsored by Bard Manufacturing in celebration of 110 years in business. (PHOTO BY JENNA FRISBY / THE VILLAGE REPORTER)
Dale Bard started the company grounded on hard work, dedication, innovation and integrity. Dale also understood the importance of community.
Merriam-Webster defines community as “a unified body of individuals”. Community is exactly what Dale Bard fostered through giving back to the community which supported him in his initial business endeavors. Through that process he developed a practice of corporate philanthropy which continues today.
Bard Manufacturing’s corporate philanthropy may have started with Dale Bard just giving back to the community which supported him and his family in the development of the family business, but it continued past that, even through to today.
Bard has funded countless charitable projects in efforts to make the communities where their employees live and work a better place. They continually support engineering and business scholarships for high school students, faith-based programs, improvement projects geared towards today’s youth, athletics, and fine arts and education.
The Bard-Steel Family Foundation continues today to make innovative changes within the community not just for the benefits of today, but for the lasting change impacting the community of tomorrow.
Because of Bard Manufacturing’s continued practice of corporate philanthropy, and their dedication to impact the communities in which they are a part of, Sidewalk Prophets were able to lead a worship service like no other on Saturday evening which has undoubtably left lasting memories and changes within the lives of so many individuals within and around the Bryan area who were privileged to attend.
Both Bard Manufacturing and Sidewalk Prophets, while at first glance are two totally different things. One, a company who works in the HVAC industry, the other a Christian band.
Both hold closely values and beliefs that make them so much more. Bard is a 4th generation family owned and operated, with their 5th generation involved in all the day-to-day operations.
When you hear the Bard name, you know that it “comes with the promise of a reliable product at a fair price”.
Sidewalk Prophets while having gone through several band changes, have never changed their foundation that “(We are) more than just music, and more than just entertainment we are family.” To both, family is the foundation, and anyone can be a part of their family if they choose.