Bonnie Blanchard: I was a member of the band and graduated in 1968. The tenor sax blended in with Frank Miller’s music beautifully! One great memory was during the field show. The North Syracuse Drum Major ran through the center of the band – to the front – threw his baton into the ground and as it swung back-and-forth, the band started to play! It was magnificent! I was band booster co-president with Linda Blanchard. Hard work, but would do it all again!

 

Melissa Harter: I've got pictures on my laptop as far back as 2011, and any before that were on film (not sure where they'd be currently). Told my hubby in August that this year's SPOB is the 75th year and I was NOT missing it. We are driving up the 30th. BTW, met my hubby during SPOB in 1995.

 

Barb Wright: It was in 1952 that I saw the Pageant for the first time. I recall Minisink Valley marching for the first time. They had no uniforms, but they did a great job.

 

Laura Lee: I marched in the 1995 and 1996 Sherburne Pageant of Bands as a member of the North Syracuse Nighthawks Marching Band. I was in the Colorguard! I now work at S-E and get goosebumps every year thinking about the history of this pageant and my memories as a participant! It is truly a holiday in Sherburne, and we look forward to it every year! Happy 75th!

 

Harriette Bates: Can’t remember the year, but my son was a drum major doing flips in front of judges and winning the drum major ward for the parade. Friends tell me they remember him when he did that.

 

Mike Del Fuoco: Recall as a wee lad that there use to be 20,000-25,000 people lined up along the entire route some five rows deep. Band uniforms WERE UNIFORMS! Toes came up to knees when marking time (none of this bend-at-the-knee stuff seen nowadays). Oh yeah, and bands usually had 75-150 members!

 

Becky Scott: Lord, I marched in this from 1995-2001. So many wonderful memories. I haven’t been back to see it but once. But I am really wanting it come back to NY to see it again soon.

Kerry Dale: My mom, Charlene Frair, marched in the very first POB, playing trumpet under the direction of Frank Miller. She also participated in the Alumni Band a few years ago. Unfortunately, she passed away a couple of years ago.

Sandy Drew (Campbell): I was a member of the S-E band in the 1980s and was the drum major for 3 years, graduating in 1985. I have been part of many musical organizations and feel blessed to have grown up in Sherburne with such a rich musical history in NYS. Since then, I have made it to the Pageant every year, with the exception of 2003 (when my son was due and my doctor would not let me travel). I also marched in the alumni band for the 50th anniversary. I am now the colorguard instructor for Bloomfield and still return to Sherburne for the Pageant every year. My best memories revolve around field band and loading equipment up in the back of my Dad's pickup to take it down to the football field. It's great to be back every year with Bloomfield and see these kids so excited to compete (and win at times). 

Michelle (Schmitt) Fritts: I was a member of the Franklin Central School Marching Band and we were performing the theme from "New York, New York" one year. I remember volunteering to be the Statue of Liberty (my aunt had a great costume), so I got to join the color guard section during the performance. My parents were band parents, driving the U-Haul with our equipment. Some time after the concert band competition that morning, I realized I did not have all the parts to my costume. As the bus drove to the parade start to drop the band off, we scoured back yard clotheslines for a green sheet. No such luck. In typical MacGyver fashion, my parents safety-pinned me up in a hot, scratchy U-Haul packing blanket to make the costume complete. It wasn’t the best, but it was better than nothing. Now I participate in the pageant as a band director, and I love making new memories with my students each June.

Ellen Coughlin: I started marching in the pageant in seventh grade with the Minisink Valley band. My senior year, I was Drum Major. This is my picture from then.

 

Jon Armstrong: I've been coming to the pageant for just about 40 years and always look forward to it! As a staff member, my favorite memory was when the band I was with won the Best of Class Award for Class B in 2008. It came as a total surprise to all of us. We had hoped to be competitive, but the results were far above what we had all expected. The reaction of our kids (and all of us adults) was priceless! All of the trophies from that year are still a focal point in our district's band room.

I remember that pageant as being particularly hot. We made it through the parade without losing anyone, unlike the band ahead of us that had one student after another drop out between the judging area and the school grounds. ... As a spectator there are hundreds of great memories. I enjoy spending Thursday and Friday evenings listening to all of the jazz bands and a few of the small ensembles (so many great performances and memorable soloists over the years). On Saturday morning, I always enjoy wandering from concert band to concert band, hoping to catch as many performances as I can. The parade is always a highpoint of the weekend (as was the field band contest). One particular thing that I always look forward to is the line of buses coming down Main Street prior to the parade with the horns blowing and the kids waving from the windows … what great enthusiasm and spirit! ... A HUGE thank you to the organizers and participants at the Sherburne Pageant of Bands for countless memories that make me smile!

The Sherburne-Earlville Music Department has had an active year. In addition to a number of concerts, several students had the honor of participating in local all-county festivals and NYSSMA solo festivals. This past January, grades 7-12 concert band students performed the national anthem for the Utica Comets. SECSD also has held several fun events, such as a talent show in April featuring a number of music students. This past March, many music students took part in the production of “Seussical The Musical.” In May, the HS Concert Band earned a rating of excellent at a music festival in Hershey, Pennsylvania. The MS concert band also participated in a music festival at Six Flags Great Adventure.

The S-E Marching Band will perform in the Canastota Boxing Hall of Fame Parade on June 9. As the band marches up the street for the SPOB, it will perform a special arrangement of "The Battle Hymn of the Republic" in honor of Jeff Manwaring, the director of bands at Sherburne-Earlville and SPOB coordinator for 18 years. Sadly, he passed away in November 2023.

Sherburne Central School and Sherburne-Earlville CSD bands have a long, proud tradition of excellence. They won top honors at the NYS Fair and Binghamton Columbus Day Parade several times and were Grand Champions at the North Syracuse Lions Festival, Batavia Pageant of Bands, and Mohawk Pageant of Bands. S-E was a charter member of the New York State Field Band Conference in 1972 and competed successfully alongside West Genesee, Cicero, Vestal, North Syracuse, Canandaigua Academy, Norwich and many others. The indoor color guard has added several championship titles to the school’s legacy.

 

Always a hit, this energetic group returns to participate during the 75th Sherburne Pageant of Bands parade. The 2023-2024 school year has been a busy one for students as they have presented several concerts and participated in Music In Our Schools Month this past March. The ES Music Department features a jazz band in addition to other performing ensembles. As a tribute to former S-E Band Director Jeff Manwaring, the band will be playing “When The Saints Go Marching In!”

A band-by-band guide to the 75th Sherburne Pageant of Bands will be printed by The Evening Sun.

The Sherburne Pageant of Bands offers six competitive events. Bands may elect to enter groups in jazz, small ensemble and cadence contests. Any marching band featuring a color guard is automatically entered into the color guard contest. Each of the events carries a certain number of festival points toward championship trophies.

Bands have the option of entering groups in the jazz band competition on Thursday and Friday evenings. Each group performs two or three pieces for a maximum of 15 minutes. It is recommended that pieces a group selects include music with various styles and tempos. There are two judges for the jazz band event. Both give feedback to the performing group and then assign scores based on the band’s tone, technique, rhythm, interpretation and improvisations. About 30 groups are set to compete in jazz at this year’s pageant.

Another event held on Thursday and Friday evenings is the small ensemble competition. Ensembles may include anywhere from 4-12 musicians. Each group may perform for a maximum of 15 minutes for two judges. The groups may perform one multi-movement piece or two short pieces of contrasting styles. Small ensemble judges listen for the group’s tone, technique, balance and blend. More than 20 small ensembles will enter competition at this year’s pageant.

Bands may elect to perform one lengthy piece, a multi-movement piece, or two selections. There are two judges for the concert band competition, who listen for balance, tone, technique, accuracy and dynamics. Each judge provides both written and verbal feedback to the performing groups. There will be about 35 concert bands in competition at Sherburne this year.

There are four judges for the parade competition. Two judge music while the other two judge marching and maneuvering. The judging area is 300 feet in length. Bands may not stop within the judging area, although they may perform side steps or change their marching formation. There is a five-point penalty for stopping in the judging area. Drum majors and honor guards are also required to salute as they pass the judge’s stand. The Sherburne Pageant of Bands parade will feature about 30 bands this year.

Any band marching in the parade that has color guard is automatically entered into the parade color guard event. There is one judge for this event. The judge assigns scores based on showmanship and effectiveness, as well as performance and excellence.

Following the parade, a school may elect to enter their drumline in the cadence competition. A group entered in this event may perform their cadence or street beat a maximum of two times for the two judges, who look and listen for technique, accuracy, interpretation, musicianship and how well the group plays as an ensemble. The cadence competition will have nearly 30 groups entered at this year’s pageant.

Each event is assigned a number of festival points. Some events, such as the parade and concert band, are worth more points as they utilize the entire band. Other events, such as jazz, small ensemble, color guard and cadence competitions, are worth fewer points. In concert band and parade, first place is worth 20 points, second is worth 14, and third is worth 8. For the other events, first place is worth 10 points, second is worth 7, and third is worth 4. Festival points are then totaled for each band.

The band within each class with the highest festival points is declared the class champion. The band with the highest number of festival points in jazz, small ensemble, concert band, parade and cadence is awarded the Frank L. Miller Outstanding Director Award. The band that receives the highest number of festival points in all of the events is awarded the Albert Whitney Overall Achievement Award. An additional award also may be given for an overall winner among junior high schools. Special awards are also given, such as the Norman Palmitier Percussion Award and a first- and second-place trophy for the best drum majors.

Originally called The Sherburne Band Festival, the first pageant was held the evening of Saturday, September 17, 1949. Frank L. Miller and Albert Whitney founded the pageant, sponsored by the Sherburne Fire Department and Sherburne Central School. The American Legion Color Guard of Sherburne led the parade, which began at 6:30 p.m. The parade moved along South and North Main Street to Sherburne Quarter and then to Community School, where the concert competition was held.

 

Norwich, under the direction of Charles Jacobsen, placed first in the marching competition. Its drum major, Clarence Simmons, won the Best Drum Major trophy. Oxford took second under the direction of Frank Parciany. Parade judges were former Sherburne athletic director Leonard Wheeler of Ithaca, Clinton Clark of Mount Upton, and Sherburne residents William Quinn and Charles Sussman. The first parade included bands from Earlville, Gilbertsville, Greene, Hamilton, New Berlin and West Winfield. The Larkin Company of Binghamton donated trophies for the parade, which featured nearly 20 floats.

 

A concert band competition followed the parade. Winners were awarded trophies and money. Norwich performed “The Mighty Midget” and won first prize, which included $50 donated by Craine & Miner. New Berlin earned second and $35 from the Sherburne Fire Department after performing “Senior High.” Oxford took third and $15 from Milton Reese following their performance of “Algeria.” Other musical selections were “The Victory March” by Earlville, “March of Liberty” by Hamilton, “New Hartford” by Gilbertsville, “The Storm King” by West Winfield, and “The Coast Guard” by Greene. Dr. M.H. Mires, a former baritone player with Pat Conway’s Band; Marjorie Hartman, a music director at Sherburne CS; Bernard Bryan, band director at Morris; and Sherburne CS graduate Aubrey Byer, also a music graduate of Syracuse University, served as concert band judges.

 

A massed band concert followed the concert band contest. South Otselic, under first year director Richard Smith, also participated. Approximately 400 students performed in the massed band program and played “Salutation” (directed by Aubrey Byer), “Fortuna” (directed by Clinton Clark), “The Mellow Moon Waltz” (directed by Frank L. Miller), “Summer Evening Serenade” (directed by Richard Smith), and “High School Cadet” (directed by Bryan Morris).

 

The Sherburne Central School Band did not compete but acted as host for the evening’s festivities. Director Frank L. Miller acted as the Master of Ceremonies and Albert Whitney served as the festival’s General Chairman. Additional assistance came from William Champ, parking and lighting; Sherburne Principal Thomas Lotz, entertainment; John Daly, floats; Edward Adwards, refreshments; Jess Chantler, Parade Marshall and concessions; Thomas Favaloro, police; and Don Stafford, Carl Borreson, Norman Palmiter and Ted Humphrey, planning committee.  

 

The first pageant was a great success, attracting nearly 1,500 spectators. Work on planning the second annual festival began almost immediately.

What did Albert Whitney and Frank L. Miller start? The quick and obvious answer is the annual Sherburne Pageant of Bands. Now in its 75th year, the Sherburne Pageant of Bands is one of the largest and oldest band contests in the United States. Each year, more than 20,000 people come Sherburne to see bands in competitions, such as jazz ensemble, color guard, percussion line, concert band and parade. More than 200 schools have sent groups to the pageant since it began in 1949. The bands have come from all corners of New York State, as well as from other states, such as Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New Hampshire, Iowa and South Dakota.

 

Albert Whitney’s vision for a band event in Sherburne began halfway around the world in Okinawa in 1944. While serving in the Seabees, he attended an Easter service that included a massed band presentation. The service left quite an impression on Whitney. Returning to Sherburne after World War II, Whitney shared his thoughts of the event with Frank L. Miller, director of bands at Sherburne Central School. They began working on staging a competition for high school bands in Sherburne that would conclude with a massed band concert. With additional help from the school principal, Thomas Lotz, and fire chiefs, Jesse Chantler and Bill Champ, the Sherburne Pageant of Bands became a reality. From 1949 with eight bands to 2024 with more than 30 bands, the Sherburne Pageant of Bands has gone far beyond the original vision.

 

However, Albert Whitney and Frank L. Miller started much more than just the Sherburne Pageant of Bands. Similar band pageants started in New York State, too, many of which used the Sherburne Pageant as their prototype. The tiny community of Gorham, just south of Canandaigua, started its own pageant in 1961, after its band visited the Sherburne Pageant. Springville, approximately 25 miles south of Buffalo, started its own pageant in 1963, and it is still held annually in mid-May.

 

There also have been other band pageants around New York State that were influenced either directly or indirectly by the Sherburne Pageant. Those pageants, and the years they existed, include Gorham 1961-2018, Canisteo 1966-1976, the North Syracuse Lions Festival 1969-1983, Batavia 1974-2008, Prattsburgh 1976-1998, Cazenovia 1980-1984, Mohawk Pageant On Parade 1982-1995, and Seneca Falls 1973-2019. And then there were out-of-state pageants that began after visits to the Sherburne Pageant or following visits to pageants that influenced by Sherburne. These included the Ridgewood (New Jersey) Spring Festival of Music, The Bald Eagle-Nittany Pageant of Bands, and the Williamsport Millionaires Festival in Pennsylvania.

 

Beyond the spring band pageants, one of the most prestigious marching band organizations in the nation had its beginnings in Sherburne. Fifty years ago, the New York State Field Band Conference was formed on February 6, 1972, following a Sherburne Pageant of Bands director’s meeting. The charter members in the NYSFBC were Sherburne-Earlville, Norwich, Vestal, West Genesee, North Syracuse and Cicero. Those bands were soon joined by Canandaigua Academy, Liverpool, Medina, Phoenix, New Hartford, Oswego and others. The New York State Field Band Conference has grown into a large, well-respected organization that annually hosts many competitions around the state during fall. This past fall, The New York State Field Band Conference hosted more than 50 bands at their daylong championship, which is held annually at the Dome in Syracuse. The New York State Field Band Conference has been the inspiration and trendsetter for countless other marching band circuits and competitions all over the United States.

 

In addition to pageants and field-band competitions, there are indoor color guard contests, which blossomed in central New York during the 1950s and 1960s, partly due to the excellence of the Sherburne Central School program. Most of the original competitors of the Mid-York Color Guard Circuit, formed in 1965, were school groups that annually competed at Sherburne. Then there are the numerous concert band, jazz ensemble and drumline festivals to consider – many of those influenced by Sherburne. And what about the thousands of people who have marched at Sherburne over the years? Quite a few of them went on to be music or marching instructors all over the United States. Certainly, the Sherburne Pageant of Bands had an influence on them as well.

 

So, just what did Albert Whitney and Frank L. Miller start? It appears that the answer is more than just the Sherburne Pageant of Bands – and much, much more than they ever dreamed of. Their idea of a band contest grew into something that resembles a “family tree” of marching contests all over the United States. So, as you sit and listen to the jazz bands, watch the color guards, wander around from concert band to concert band, keep time to the percussion lines or enjoy the excitement of the parade, think of Albert Whitney and Frank L. Miller and all that has grown from their original concept. And to think that it all started in Sherburne!