Man Plays Patriotic Tunes On Trumpet Outside Brookfield Home

BROOKFIELD, WI—On Sunday evenings, a mile from the Brookfield Hills Golf Course, people can hear a trumpet playing "God Bless America."

It has become a weekly tradition for Gary Kilvinger,68, to play the trumpet from his driveway in Brookfield.

It began as a favor in 2020. A friend asked him to play trumpet on Fridays to help keep the neighbor's spirits up.

"I thought I could do something in my driveway too," Kilvinger told Patch.

During the warm months people lined the driveway as Kilvinger played for the crowd and those pesky mosquitoes.

In the colder months, when mosquitoes were no more, the audience dwindled but he still saw a few persistent faces.

"I had some regulars who showed up through rain and wind," he said.

Every Sunday at 6 p.m., whether sun or snow, people would come out to hear the trumpeter play "Star Spangled Banner" and other patriotic tunes in his repertoire.

Kilvinger has played the trumpet since fifth grade. He said residents have come to expect his weekly performances, with many neighbors saying the music means a lot of them.

Last week, news broke that 13 members of the military were killed in Afghanistan on Aug. 26. That Sunday Kilvinger was asked to play "Taps" in salute of the fallen servicemen and servicewomen.

"I played it and they [neighbors] were touched by it and it left a good mark in their mind," he said.

The meaning of the trumpet playing is not lost on him. Kilvinger is also a member of the Milwaukee Letter Carriers’ Band which plays in retirement homes. As the pandemic grew darker and the days got shorter, people began to feel anxious.

"It [trumpet playing] is a reassurance that we are still here and things will get better. We still have a pretty good country," he said.