Hard work, practice pay off for high school marching bands
As the sun goes down Friday night, the lights will go on at high school football fields across Butler County. Teens are about to learn if all that hard work and sweat under a July sun in daylong practices are about to pay off.
High school marching bands take the field to kick off the fall football campaign.
Earlier this week, Amanda Pivirotto, the band director, led the Karns City High School marching band and Gremlinettes dance line and flag team through a two-hour practice on the high school football field.
Sitting in the press box overlooking the field, Pivirotto said, “We lost a lot of seniors from last year, a large group of seniors.”
But she feels this year's band will be able to carry on the tradition.
A two-week band camp running from 8 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. July 29 to Aug. 9, followed by two, two-hour practices a week should have
William Weltman, band director of the Moniteau Warrior Marching Band, is glad his squad is making its first appearance in front of a home crowd as Moniteau High School hosts Kane.
“Home or away it doesn't really matter, but it's nice not to travel the first day,” said Weltman.
Les Fine, band director at Slippery Rock High School, has the luxury of 31 returning seniors taking the field Friday night for the home opener against General McLane High School, almost a third of the 95-member band and color guard.
“This is the largest senior class that I've had,” said Fine.
This is an excerpt from a story in Friday's Butler Eagle.
