La Banda Rossa: October 5, 2013 - Camden NY Homecoming Parade

For the first time ever, the Red Band was invited to march in the Camden NY annual Homecoming Parade.

The parade started from the parking lot of the Camden High School.

At precisely 1pm the parade was signaled to begin by musket fire and the thundering drumming from the Continentals Fife and Drum Corps of Camden NY.

We proceeded down Main Street and right through the center of town.

It seemed that everyone in Camden participated. If they weren’t in the parade they were lining the sidewalks all along the route – most wearing the royal blue and white colors of the Camden Blue Devils.

The football team itself filled the backs of trucks followed by cheerleaders and pep rally clubs – for this was the Homecoming Parade.

Some of the children on the sidewalk were waving blue and white pom-poms but almost all of them were blowing on small blue cylinder shaped noisemakers.

We could hear hundreds of them “accompanying” our music as we marched by them.

We may have brought the team luck – The Camden Blue Devils trounced South Jefferson by a score of 41-27 later in the day.

The Red Band has a personal connection to Camden. We have a new member in our clarinet section this year. Her name is Karen Castine from Camden.

She was extra-excited about performing this year. It had been 19 years since she played in the same parade as a member of Camden’s school band and returned this year with our band.

A devoted musician – Karen also plays the violin and cello.
Welcome to La Banda Rossa!