Bandwagon adds to festival spirit

By Evelyn Gander
Staff Writer

Score it ``Festival Spirit 1; Rain 0.''

Hand claps outplayed raindrops in The Great American Brass Band Festival's parade Saturday morning, as 11 members of The Advocate Brass Band struck up the music on Main Street - from the Bandwagon, a brand-new addition to this year's Festival.

Product of imagination, research, expertise and ``elbow grease,'' the Bandwagon represents not only professional skill but volunteer time and effort. It was fashioned by Darell Shannon, specialist in building and restoring horse-drawn vehicles and owner of Bluegrass Carriage Works on Popplewell Lane.

As the Bandwagon was about to join the parade Saturday morning, Shannon praised local support and the work of volunteers in the six-week building project. Coleman's Lumber of Harrodsburg donated lumber; Stuart Powell Ford-Mazda, paint; and from John Dixon of Dixon Design came decorative design.
Shannon said 11 volunteers had helped especially with sanding of the vehicle that he had estimated earlier was to stand about 7 feet high, 5 feet wide and 13 feet long, with solid oak, red wheels and a white body with red and blue lettering. He especially praised the work of Carriage Works employee Bill Gay and his wife, Philippa Burgess, and volunteers Dr. James Ramey, in sanding and building, and Eben Henson, in painting and lettering.

The Bandwagon began to take shape months ago during a conversation among festival organizer George Foreman of Centre College, Burgess and Gay - who is a musician with Saxton's Cornet Band. After that came research on how the 19th century vehicles looked and operated.

There likely are few other such replicas of them, said Shannon Saturday afternoon, as he described the significance of this newest addition to The Great American Brass Band Festival.

``I think that more than anything, it'll probably become a symbol of the Brass Band Festival ... I think as time goes on, visitors - when they see a picture of that vehicle ... are going to associate it with the Brass Band Festival.''

A century ago, bandwagons brought musicians - and the excitement of their circuses - into towns.

At 11 a.m. Saturday, as The Advocate Brass Band played K.L. King's ``Woody Van's March'' and ``General Lee,'' the Bandwagon brought festival spirit to 20th century Main Street, Danville, Kentucky.