A Patriotic Show of Support from Generation to Generation

August 8, 2024

The article below is the result of an interview conducted by Bryn E. Keeney, PR Coordinator of ArtsQuest. It was originally published in the Summer 2024 edition of Inside ArtsQuest magazine.

ArtsQuest is all about bringing our community together! Our programming reaches more than 1.9 million people annually. Through the support of sponsors, partners, colleagues, organizations, businesses and most importantly, the community, ArtsQuest has been able to provide fun, impactful programming and events to the Lehigh Valley area for over 40 years, with the inception of Musikfest in 1984. With our proud partnership with Embassy Bank, we have been able to provide our community with a dynamic and motivating way to celebrate and remember those who have served or are serving our country. These patriotic celebrations have been loved and embraced by the community for decades.

"We believe in tradition. We believe in history, which you are preserving," said David M. Lobach Jr., Chief Executive Officer at Embassy Bank. It is with their help that ArtsQuest has been able to provide such incredible celebrations that ensure that the sacrifices of our Hometown Heroes, veterans and other military personnel are not forgotten. And, it has become a tradition for ArtsQuest and Embassy Bank to partner up on these events.

Lobach Jr., has been involved with ArtsQuest since the early days of the organization where relationship building was key in getting ArtsQuest off the ground. By creating strong relationships, Jeff Parks was able to bring his idea of Musikfest to life and, in result of that, ArtsQuest. At the conception of Musikfest, Jeff Parks found a lifelong supporter and sponsor in the Banko family. The Frank Banko Alehouse Cinemas are named after the most influential supporter of Jeff Parks whom he met in Allentown at Banko Beverages. There, Parks shared preliminary plans for Musikfest in April of 1983. Banko went on to mentor Parks in the workings of the beer distribution system and played a major role in helping Parks get Musikfest off the ground.

"Parks was struggling to get people to believe in his vision until he spoke to Frank Banko," explained Lobach Jr., Chief Executive Officer at Embassy Bank. "Banko was the guy that believed in him right away."

As the first major sponsor, Banko helped to convince Stroh Brewing Company to become a sponsor of Musikfest as well. He also provided eight tractor trailers for storage that are still in use 20 years later to store Musikfest and Christkindlmarkt booths, decorations and other materials. According to Parks' book Stronger Than Steel, Frank Banko gave him the "means to keep the festival solvent." Today, Frank "Chip" Banko III sits on the Board of Directors for one of ArtsQuest's longest and biggest supporters, Embassy Bank.

Looking at the SteelStacks, sitting there dormant and silent, it was Jeff that was able to hear the music that would one day fill the air at the SteelStacks campus - Banko saw his vision and helped to build it. From there, Lobach Jr. heard and supported the vision for the campus and, because of his patriotic persona and dream of celebrating the great heroes of our Lehigh Valley, Embassy Bank has been supporting ArtsQuest's patriotic holiday celebrations since the completion of the SteelStacks campus in 2011.

As the largest locally owned and operated bank, Embassy is very Lehigh Valley consumer centric with employees that are Lehigh Valley residents. With nine out of the 12 original founding members ("The Dirty Dozen") still working with Embassy today, and most of the current Embassy team having grown up in the Lehigh Valley, this bank has been described as an organization with an awareness of needs within the community. They invest money into local programs like housing, healthcare, land preservation, youth education, veteran celebrations and more, Lobach Jr. described the flow of money within Embassy Bank as a "circle of life." All money deposited through Embassy Bank supports the Lehigh Valley in a plethora of ways, one of which is through ArtsQuest programming.

For 14 years, the Hometown Heroes Display has transformed the SteelStacks campus into a living memorial honoring our hometown heroes. From Memorial Day weekend through mid-July, the campus will be draped with images of local military heroes as a display of appreciation and gratitude for their sacrifices and contributions. Attendees can also enjoy performances from incredible bands and artists throughout Memorial Day weekend. At the conclusion of the weekend, brief speeches from elected officials and a reading of names by American Gold Star Mothers takes place in remembrance of those we have lost. And at Embassy Bank's Annual Flag Day event attendees are provided with fun activities, K9 officer demonstrations and performances by The Allentown Band and Evelyn Stewart.

"You do so much and your big event in August is certainly incredible. But my favorite ArtsQuest event is Flag Day," claimed Lobach Jr. "Seeing the veterans participating in the event, and the Gold Star and Blue Star mothers and support animals paired with performances by the Allentown Band and Evelyn Stewart make this an absolutely beautiful event. Evelyn Stewart just takes the roof off the Musikfest Cafe with her rendition of 'Battle Hymn of the Republic'."

ArtsQuest is so grateful that our patriotic holiday celebrations continue to bring our community together to celebrate those who served us and our country. Without Lobach Jr. hearing Parks' vision and Embassy Bank's continued support, those celebrations would not even come close to having the significant impact on our community that it does today.

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