Music association Laus Deo from Emmen received a Royal Medal of Honor on Saturday evening for its centenary. King’s Commissioner Jetta Klijnsma presented the Medal of Honor.
Laus Deo, which means ‘praise the Lord’, started in 1923 as a brass band for boys from Noordbarge, Zuidbarge and Westenesch. The province of Drenthe praises the ‘special place that the association occupies in Emmen and the surrounding area’.
Fanfare and marching show band
In addition to the brass band, a drum band was also founded in the 1950s. Decades later, in the 1980s, it became a ‘marching show band’, complete with wind instruments and percussionists. The brass band and the marching show band perform during commemorations, the evening four-day event and the arrival of Sinterklaas. The association also visits nursing homes and churches where novice musicians can learn to play a musical instrument in the training orchestra.
The Royal Medal of Honor is a badge of honor for associations, foundations or institutions. The king thus wants to show respect and appreciation for the special merits of the recipient.