SPRING MILLS — On a clear autumn night in Penns Valley on Oct. 15, as the full moon rose in the east, the sound of blaring brass, woodwinds and percussion delighted a crowd of nearly 1,000 people at the Penns Valley High School stadium during the 2016 Centre/Clearfield County Marching Band Festival.
Nine marching bands, from Bellefonte, Bald Eagle, Penns Valley, Clearfield, Curwensville, Glendale, Moshannon Valley, West Branch and Philipsburg-Osceola high schools, participated in the non-competitive event, performing their 2016 halftime field shows for the crowd.
The festival showcased high school marching bands from the two counties, giving them the opportunity to perform for the public in a band-only event. The show location rotates between counties and schools each year, and serves as a fundraiser for the host band. This was the first time Penns Valley hosted the event, and band director Darris DeRemer was enthusiastic. “It’s great to have an event where bands are the focus,” he said in an earlier interview.
The first band to perform on the field was the West Branch Warrior Band, led by drum major Caitlyn Krupa, with their show, “Flashback Friday.” West Branch featured songs by talented musicians who have passed on. The band wore red, white and blue ribbons in honor of West Branch class of 2001 graduate Don Whipple, who was killed in an automobile accident in August.
Eight other bands followed in turn, performing shows with a wide variety of themes. Several played rock classics, such as the music of Queen, Motown groups of the 1960s and the more contemporary music of Green Day. With a hint of things to come, the Bellefonte band’s show, “A Celebration of Winter,” featured songs such as “Let It Snow,” “Baby, It’s Cold Outside,” “Winter Wonderland” and “Jingle Bells.”
All the shows featured constant, intricate movement of band members in and out of various formations, while playing their music.
The bands received appreciative applause and cheering from the large crowd of spectators, with the loudest cheers came from members of the other bands in a great show of support for their fellow musicians, majorettes and flag bearers.
As the host band, Penns Valley was the last to take the field. They performed their 2016 show, featuring music from the Broadway show “Wicked.”
Following the show, Penns Valley School District superintendent Brian Griffith awarded drum majors from all the bands plaques for the bands’ participation in the festival.
