The Central Lakes College Community Band tour of Central Europe is the first Cultural Thursday program of the new academic year at Central Lakes College, Brainerd. It is Thursday, Sept. 1. The free, 50-minute public event starts at noon in Chalberg Theatre. It will showcase the July 18-28 concert tour undertaken by the 44 musicians and 10 traveling companions. They traveled to the Czech Republic, Austria, and Hungary as well as Slovakia, playing five concerts and witnessing the Old World architecture and pervasive hospitality of enduring cultures. “We saw opulent architecture, breathtaking art, squalid poverty and people from other countries and cultures going through their daily lives,” said Steve Anderson, conductor and lead presenter for the Sept. 1 program. The travelers were awestruck by splendorous architecture restored following the war, along with an abundance of public art, mainly sculptures. Many paid tribute to iconic figures such as Beethoven, Mozart, and Goethe.