By EMILY TOADVINE
Staff Writer

The 13th annual Great American Brass Band Festival will feature some tried and true favorites as well as some new bands. Regardless of how many years the music makers have been coming to the festival, this year they will join in creating a patriotic ambiance for the expected 40,000 visitors.

A band from every branch of the service is expected to attend the event set for June 14-16 in downtown Danville and on the Centre College campus.

Patriotic fever will be at a high during the picnic on Saturday, where for the first time an award will be given to table with the best Salute to Servicemen theme. Most Patriotic is another award in keeping with the idea that Flag Day is June 13.

"There will be lots of patriotism on Saturday night. There will be a guest here from the White House," says Debra Hoskins, director of programs and public relations at the Norton Center for the Arts.

A National Moment of Remembrance will be part of the picnic. The National Moment of Remembrance is part of a White House Commission established by Congress that requests everyone to stop for a moment and remember fallen heroes.

"The commission wants Americans to take time every day to remember fallen heroes and those who are serving the country," says Hoskins.

Having the moment during the picnic is appropriate, Hoskins says.

"It's the festival's reaction to the terroristic attack and showing support. Even though we're having a wonderful time, we still continue to take time to remember those who served and those who lost their lives."

Disneyland Band expected

Among the new bands that festival organizer George Foreman is expecting is the Disneyland Band. A lot of work went into getting them to come, he says.

"It's very rare for them to ever perform outside the park," he says.

Other bands expected to participate are: The Advocate Brass Band of Danville; Band of the Air Force Reserve of Robbins Air Force Base, Georgia; U.S. Marine Band Brass Quintet of Washington, D.C., with Major Dennis Burian as guest conductor; Cincinnati Brass Band; Circle City Sidewalk Stompers Indianapolis; Dixie Power Trio of Washington, D.C.; 8th Regiment of Rome, Ga.; Euphoria of Cookeville, Tenn.; Scott Kirby ragtime piano, of New Orleans; Main Street Brass of Cynthiana; The Millennium Brass; Musikverein Herforst 1933 e.V. of Herforst, Germany; Munich Trumpet Ensemble of Munich, Germany; New Columbian Wind Band; Olde Towne Brass of Huntsville, Ala.; Olympia Brass Band of New Orleans; Southern Territorial Band of the Salvation Army of Atlanta; 202nd Army Band of Frankfort; and the St. James Tripolians Steel Orchestra of Port of Spain, Trinidad; and the 202nd Army Band of the Kentucky Army National Guard.

The Advocate Band visited Trinidad the last week of December to hear the steel bands, which feature drums made from oil barrels. The Wheelmen of Findley, Ohio, who ride and display a collection of antique bicycles also will return.

Olympia Brass Band, which has performed at every year of the festival, will be the subject of this year's poster.

Also returning to perform are The Wheelmen, antique bicycle enthusiasts who lend a colorful, nostalgic air on their high wheel bicycles, and Elderhostel, a five-day in-depth festival experience open to participants 55 and older.

The theme of Friday's Conference on American Band History will be the exchange of music between Europe and the United States.

Dozens of hot air balloons will fill the sky during The Great American Balloon Race on Friday evening.

In keeping with the patriotic theme, The Advocate Brass Band, which Foreman conducts, is practicing some new tunes. The band traditionally fires up the crowd with the playing of "Stars and Stripes Forever," but this year is learning "American Fantasy" by Victor Herbert.

"It's a tough piece, but we'll see," Foreman says.

Back to Articles 2002
Back to GABBF 2002