In the mid-1980’s, several events occurred in Licking County which provided the right circumstances for the formation of a community band. The adult bands that had been in the area were no longer playing and the right number of good players on the right instruments were present. J M Day and Don Workman, two band directors in the Newark City Schools, met for lunch once a week and among other things, discussed music, musicians, and how much fun it would be to be able to again perform quality band literature. They drafted a letter on New Year’s Day, 1985, inviting twenty-five musicians to a rehearsal on January 21st of that year in the Newark High School Band room. Although not yet so named, the Heisey Wind Ensemble was born.
Why Heisey? Aside from the earthworks built by the Hopewell tribe circa 100 BC, Newark is best noted for the high quality glassware produced by the Heisey Glassworks from 1895 to 1957. Since the name Heisey represented quality in the area and the goal of the new organization was quality performance on quality music, the Heisey Wind Ensemble seemed an appropriate name.