Huron Expositor, 2007-06-13, Page 9News
Band alumni get another chance to `lift those knees"
as parade marches through Seaforth Saturday
The Huron Expositor • June 13, 2007 Page 9
From Page 1
school. There were low ceilings and
it was pretty loud," she remem-
bered.
"George was fun as the director
but he was strict too to keep you in
tune and in line," said Ross.
One of highlights for Ross was
marching behind Tommy Hunter in
the London, Ont. Santa Claus
parade.
"At that age, that was a pretty big
thing," she said.
From 1961 to 65, Janet Papple
and Darlene (Sills) Smyth were in
the band, both playing snare drum.
"I started on the bass drum and
cymbals. You took what positions
were available - if it came open, you
took it," said Papple referring to the
immense popularity of the band.
Smyth played lead drum and had
to count down the band when it was
about to begin.
"I can still remember the look
George gave the band when he blew
the whistle. We were always march-
ing. Not very often' did we stand
still," she said.
Both agreed that their highest
moment in the band was one time
performing at the International
Plowing Match.
"We were all in tears when we fin-
ished. We did so well," said Papple.
"The tears were streaming down
our faces. We had practised hard for
that and really worked on it,"
agreed Smyth.
Sisters Mary Anne (Kunz )
McGrath and Terry (Kunz)
Hepburn came from London to the
reunion because of all the fun they
remembered from their band days
from 1967-69.
"Every Friday night was band
practice. George would march us in
the parking lot and if we were
sounding good, he'd say, `Let's take
it downtown' and away we'd go.
We'd have to watch and be careful
at the lights," said McGrath.
Hepburn said a trip to
Frankenmuth was the band's big
trip during her era.
"Many a bake sale sponsored that
trip," she remembered.
But they always marched in the
London Santa Claus parade.
"The pinwheel was our signature
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move," she said, adding that as a
gymnastic coach in London, she's
adopted the pinwheel as her team's
signature move as well.
Hepburn said she played the
trumpet but never learned to read
music.
"We learned by ear. We were
never taught," she said.
McGrath, a flag carrier in the
band, remembered Hildebrand's
high standards.
"He always said, 'Lift those
knees.' And, if you didn't while you
were marching, he would make
you," she said, adding that he did so
with patience.
"He was very generous with us.
You wanted to do well for him for
some reason," she said.
Lori (Sauvage) Bailey, of Waterloo
and Tracy (Baker) Mallen, of
Tottenham, both played glocken-
spiel from 1972-77.
"We had a blast in the band. It
was the most fun of anything we did
in high school," said Mallen.
Both started out on the trumpet
and hated it and begged to trade for
the glockenspiel.
"I could not get one note out of
that trumpet. I would just fake it,"
said Mallen.
"We were taking the piano so we
had a musical background," said
Bailey.
She remembered hitting the bars
of the glockenspiel so hard during
parades that they popped off.
"We carried screwdrivers and
extra bars in our socks," she said.
Mallen remembers breaking the
mallets all the time as well.
"Ours was the first band to go to
Fort Myers, Florida," said Bailey. -
Mary (Searle) Pennington, of
Goderich, who played trumpet
between 1973 and 76 in the band
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was a so part of the group who
played at the Edison Festival of
Lights in Florida and remembered
playing for U.S. President Gerald
Ford.
"I remember him being up high
somewhere," she said.
She also remembered playing on a
"humungous football field."
"We were like a needle in a
haystack - such a small band com-
pred to the others," she said.
At that time, the band wore a
plaid skirt, green blazer and a
green beret with a feather out the
side.
"I remember a dog at the place
where I was being billeted got at my
hat and destroyed the feather. I was
lucky the chaperone had extras,"
said Pennington.
Hildebrand's wife Hazel spent the
winter putting together two scrap-
books of clippings she'd saved about
the band.
Band executive member Penny
Breen said organizers also went to
some trouble finding artifacts, such
as old uniforms, high school year-
books, video footage of past perfor-
mances, clippings and trophies.
Calling the band "a cornerstone
organization" representing Seaforth
and area on national and interna-
tional stages, Huron -Bruce MP
Paul Steckle praised the band's 50
years in a letter read at the
reunion.
"The Seaforth and District All -
Girls Marching Band has cultivated
self-esteem, self-discipline, team-
work, leadership and a sisterhood,
characteristics that will serve mem-
bers, past and present, well as they
apply them throughout their lives,"
said the letter.
Huron East Deputy -Mayor Bernie
MacLellan said the municipality is
proud of the band.
"Fifty years is a milestone to be
proud of. I'm trying to think of a
musical group around that long and
the only band I can come up with is
the Rolling Stones," he said.
Charlie Kalbfleisch, band leader
since 1978 until present, said he
was thrilled to see band members
from the 1970s and 1980s and was
looking forward to the band's
future.
"We have to keep fundraising all
the time to keep going but we have
a very good executive - they keep us
running," he said.
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