July 27, 2013 -- Honor America Days Parade Rome, NY

Bravo!! To the city of Rome for consistently hosting one of the area’s largest and grandest parades. This was the 30th year that Rome has hosted its annual Honor America Days and the parade is a red, white, and blue display of patriotic enthusiasm.

There were 14 divisions in this 3 hour parade and the Red Band was placed at the end of division 10. Another band, The Excelsior Cornet Band, was at the beginning of our division. They are a Civil War band and use authentic antique brass instruments and percussion and are based in Syracuse, NY.

History is such a big part of Rome and its parade. Going back to August 26, 1758, Fort Stanwix was constructed to protect the area during the French and Indian War as well as playing a vital role during the Revolution.

On July 4, 1817 – the 1st shovelful of dirt was dug in Rome to start construction of the Erie Canal.

It was also home to Griffiss Air Force Base from 1942-1995.

Rome’s claim to fame doesn’t stop there – Francis Bellamy, the author of the Pledge of Allegiance lived here and is buried in Rome.

La Banda Rossa is honored to be part of Rome’s parade – after all this is our 108th year so we have quite a lot of history of our own.

It wasn’t hard to spot us – we were directly behind a very tall Uncle Sam on stilts and his ultra-agile unicycle companion.

The weather was perfect – the crowd was huge – lots of bands, balloon, and floats. Can’t rave enough about this one.

VIVA ROME!

VIVA AMERICA!!

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Rome Honor America Parade

VIVA LA BANDA ROSSA!!!

July 21, 2013 - Mt. Carmel/Blessed Sacrament Church Festival Utica, NY

The week-long 90°+ heat wave broke in time for the Mount Carmel Church Festival and it seems everyone turned out to enjoy a sunny yet comfortable afternoon.

The Red Band was poised in front of the Church at the conclusion of the 10:30am Mass as the Statue of Our Lady of Mount Carmel emerged followed by a large group of Parishioners.

Very few of them dispersed – instead they followed the Saint and the Blessed Sacrament in Procession. It was the longest Procession in many a year – perhaps because of a change made this year.

Instead of going through the streets of East Utica and making 5 stops to recite the Rosary – this procession just went around the block to the outdoor Shrine for Benediction.

It has been noted that these shorter Processions allow more of the older Parishioners to participate and be part of the celebration.

After Benediction it seemed that everyone stayed around the Church grounds longer to enjoy food and music.

We played a 2 hour concert on an elevated, tented stage (our 38 musicians just fit on the platform) before a very large audience sitting under a tent of their own.

It was a lovely way to spend an old-fashioned Sunday afternoon in East Utica.

VIVA Mt. Carmel/Blessed Sacrament Parish

 

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Mt. Carmel Festival

VIVA LA BANDA   ROSSA!!!

July 14, 2013 - Boliermaker Road Race Utica NY

Under hot, humid, sunny skies, the Boilermaker Road Race started at 7:15am with a 5k race, a 15k wheelchair race at 7:45am, and the main event – the 15k race at 8:00am.

The Red Band was setup just before the 2 miler marker and we were ready to play for the 1st wheelchair racers to come by.

Because they speed by so fast and by 2 miles they are already spread out from each other - we play our shortest number as they race by. We play an Italian fanfare type march – “The Marcia Reale” for each one of them.

By 8:07am the first elite runners reached us and at 8:09am the first elite women passed by (this gap between the men and women has gotten smaller over the years – you go girls!)

The Band quickly started our concert – Arlene selects quick-step numbers such as marches, polkas, and Italian favorites such as Funiculi-Funicula, the Tarentella, and the Beer Barrel Polka (perhaps to inspire them to the finish line at the Matt’s Brewery.

It seemed at times like we were also racing – we played 17 songs by 8:46am when the last runner went by.

The efficiency of this event is remarkable – by 9am the streets were being swept and the runners, the chairs, the water station, and the Red Band were gone!

 

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Boiler Maker Road Race

VIVA LA BANDA ROSSA!!!

July 13, 2013 - New York Mills Bell Parade

According to a recent article in the Utica OD – the story of the Bell Parade reveals the history of the actual bell which is now displayed in Pulaski Park on Main St. in New York Mills.

The bell originally belonged to the AD Julliard & Co. this mill produced corduroy and velveteen textiles. The bell was used much like a school bell – to call its employees to work. The mill closed in 1951.

It pealed for fires and later rang curfew for kids at 9:00pm.

After the mill the bell was used by Sacred Heart Church until 1993 and then was gifted to NY Mills to be used in a village monument.

The Bell Festival began in 2000 and every July it kicks off with a parade.

The Red Band led the parade at 5pm on Saturday, July 13 – a very sunny, warm, and humid summer day. We marched down Main St. followed by the New York Mills Fire Dept.

We ended at the Park where entertainment continued through the night ending with a display of fireworks.

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New York Mills Bell Parade

 VIVA LA BANDA ROSSA!!!

July 7, 2013 - Sacred Heart-St. Mary's New York Mills

The Red Band was asked to play in a short procession following the 11:00am Mass at Sacred Heart/St. Mary Our Lady of Czestochowa Parish in New York Mills.

The Mass was a special “Celebration of the Priesthood” and honored Msgr. Adolph Kantor’s 70th anniversary and Fr. Arthur Krawczenko’s 10th anniversary of their Ordinations.

The procession included the Knights of Columbus, members of the Clergy, and Parishioners – some in colorful Polish outfits carrying banners and flags.

An honored guest was also in attendance – the Most Rev. Edward Ozorowski, Archbishop of Bialystok. Poland.

The procession ended at the Grotto where everyone gathered around the Statue of the Blessed Mother for a final prayer and two musical selections by the band.

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Sacred Heart-St. Mary

VIVA LA BANDA ROSSA!!!

June 14, 2013 - Deerfield Field Days Parade

Last year I commented on the dwindling number of people who used to sit in front of their homes along the steep hill of Trenton Rd to watch the annual Deerfield Firemen’s Field Day Parade – and that trend continues.

I discovered that the crowd has simply moved to the food and beer pavilions and the young people are congregated along the amusement and rides area.

The best place to listen to the Red Band and watch the Firemen is to queue up in the food ticket line, order your food, get a frosty beverage, and take a seat at a picnic table.

We start at the top of the road, lead the parade down the short, downhill route. Then because there aren’t many bands in the parade we stand on the sideline facing the crowded tables and play a mini concert of marches. We continue playing as the fire departments minus the trucks enter the field and pass in front of us.
 
It was a great night for field days – sunny and pleasantly warm – the dog days of summer are still in the future.

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Deerfield Field Days

VIVA LA BANDA ROSSA!!!

June 9, 2013 - Feast of St. Anthony Procession - Utica NY

The sun returned Sunday morning as the Statue of St. Anthony emerged from the church as the Red Band played Gli Asperanti Bandisti.

Once the Statue was firmly in place on its pedestal, the band played several more numbers including the St. Anthony’s Hymn – sung in many Churches on this day.

When the 11:30am Mass was completed the Grand Procession was underway. Friend of the band and birthday girl, Frances Vendetti, walked the entire procession on the arm of her daughter Patricia, and her granddaughter.

Every year at the first corner we come to – we stop to play Marcia Reale for the Tocco and Aiello families. Frank Tocco, a former saxophone player, and Sam Aiello, a former trombone player, have been deceased for a few years now but every year their families come to watch the procession go by and we always stop to play in memory of their loved ones. Frank and Sam will forever remain dear to the Red Band.

The Procession continued on keeping the tradition alive of stopping to play Marcia Reale at every house that displays a statue or poster of St. Anthony.

Back at the church the procession was complete once the statue was carried up the steps and returned inside the church for another year.

 

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St. Anthony Procession
VIVA LA BANDA ROSSA!!!

June 8, 2013 - Feast of St. Anthony Concert - Utica NY

As the Parish of St. Anthony’s Church turned 101 years old this year, they once again celebrated the Feast of their Patron Saint by inviting the Red Band to play a concert under a large tent on the church grounds.

The crowd was at its largest when we arrived to setup for our 8pm concert. We added a few new Italian favorites to our repertoire this year – Viene Sul Mar, Non Dimenticar, an Italian march Trento de Triesti, and played highlights from an opera that’s an Italian favorite – Nabucodonosor.

The band was strong – 39 musicians. For this concert more musicians make for a fuller and more robust sound and the audience showed their appreciation.

Each year at our first church concert - we begin with a tribute to those members who have died during the past year. This year we honored Henry “Red” Brunet, a former percussionist and Carm Graziano, our French Horn player, who passed away in April while he was still in Florida. We played a special Marcia Funebre entitled “Una Lagrima ed un Fiore – A Tear and Flower” as our 1^st selection.

St. Anthony’s Parish also suffered a very recent loss with pne of their parishioners, “Aunt Jennie” Mucitelli, on June 3^rd. Her part in the St. Anthony Feast was just as vital as the music of the Red Band.

Jennie was “instrumental” in the preparation and production of the Pizza Fritta! Without Jennie at the helm there seemed to be a bit of a snafu this year – they had a problem getting the dough to rise – but the problem seemed to be quickly resolved.

The weather was getting cooler and the crowd was all but gone when we finished the concert at 10pm.

It’s evident that the aging parishioners just can’t take sitting outside on the colder evenings.

Sad but true!

 

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St. Anthony Concert

VIVA LA BANDA ROSSA!!!