SHERBURNE – The 64th annual Sherburne Pageant of the Bands kicks-off this afternoon with Jazz Ensemble competitions, beginning at 4 p.m. and leading up to the main event, Saturday’s popular Grand Parade Competition, in which all 28 of the competing schools will march their way through the center of the village.
The pageant is recognized throughout the state as the largest and longest running of its kind. Founded in 1949 by Albert Whitney and Frank L. Miller, the event lures an estimated 5,000 to 10,000 people to Sherburne each year including the participants and their families. Between Colgate Alumni weekend and the pageant, however, it can often be difficult for visitors to find a place to stay for the three-day event. Traditionally there have been Sherburne residents who have allowed people to camp out on their land. And while attendance at the pageant has taken something of a hit in recent years – typically attributed to the downturn in the nation’s economy – the pageant has been making a strong comeback.
“It’s starting to come back little by little,” said lead pageant organizer and S-E band director Jeffrey Manwaring, who has served as coordinator of the Pageant of the Bands for 13 years but first participated in 1975 as a marching band student. A few years later, as a college student, he remembers standing by on the sidelines watching the annual event.
“After college, however, I brought bands from different schools that I had taught at to it,” he stated with no small measure of pride, adding that the number of participating schools is slightly higher than last year’s.
Indeed, band programs throughout the state have been getting smaller, said Manwaring.
“Programs are changing with the Common Core and state testing … we’re feeling it here, and a lot of kids are having a tough time finding the time for band and to come to lessons.”
Despite these adversities, Manwaring is still optimistic, adding that the S-E band program is doing alright and holding its own.
Bands compete for both trophies and ratings with the first through fifth place trophies being awarded for the concert and parade categories. As with every year, the pageant’s categories will include Concert, Parade, Small Ensemble, Color Guard, Jazz Ensemble, Drum Line and Drum Major. The New York Federation of Contest Judges will judge the marching bands and the color guard competitions, while band directors from different areas which are not competing will judge the other events.
Many of the schools that will be participating in this year’s Pageant of the Bands will be spending hours on end in buses to get to Sherburne, and have been doing so for years.
“It’s just a great experience for the kids to be involved with, it’s really an end of the year final for us,” said Pulaski Band Director Jack Jennings, who has been taking part in the pageant in one form or another since 1992. “I prepare the kids as fast as I can and all of our groups are solid.”
However, Jennings added that it’s really not so much about winning or losing; instead the kids come down to do their best and enjoy themselves.
Over the years since Jennings first attended the pageant, he said he’s noticed how it has evolved.
“Jeff Manwaring has done one heck of a job moving it into the future, adding new parts while getting rid of things that are dated such as baton twirlers, which time has really passed by and no one is doing anymore.”
Adding the Drum Line and Small Ensemble categories, for instance, better reflect student musicians today, he added.
Another school with a long haul, Mexico Junior High School (facing a two-hour journey by bus), will be returning again this year, boasting an impressive roster of 100 marching band members. Kevin Upcraft, Mexico Junior High School band director, first attended the pageant as a high school senior in 1991.
“The Sherburne competition is the biggest in the state,” said Upcraft. “The parade band is kind of the pinnacle of our program and so Sherburne is kind of like our pinnacle of the year, our Super Bowl.”
For Upcraft, the best part of the pageant is seeing his students spending time with the other kids throughout the state who take part in marching band. He also likes the comradery his students are able to share with the Mexico High School students during the Sherburne pageant. The Junior High School students have a separate program and do not often get a chance to see the older kids perform, he added.The Mexico Junior High Band program recently received a gold rating from the New York State Band Evaluation in Rome and are considered a serious contender. When asked whether he thinks Mexico will walk away with gold this weekend Upcraft said, “Who knows, but it is a great chance to see how we rank against other schools out there ... with the Sherburne pageant you know where you stand with other groups in the state.”
Competitions will be held as follows:
• Jazz Ensemble and Small Ensemble, beginning at 4 p.m. Thursday and Friday in the S-E Middle/High School auditorium and band room respectively. A live feed of Thursday’s and Friday’s competitions can be found via a link on the Sherburne-Earlville’s website (secsd.org).
• Concert Band beginning at 9 a.m. Saturday at various sites throughout the S-E High School.
• The Grand Parade Competition will make its way through downtown Sherburne at 1 p.m.
• Drum Line beginning at 1:45 p.m. followed by the Presentation of Awards ceremony on Saturday to be held at the S-E stadium.