Brigade, local bands showcase talent and sportsmanship

ONE SOUND
All 5 bands gather to play the National Anthem

LASTING IMPRESSION
Jacob C. during the Festival on Saturday

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This Article may appear in the
Springs Valley Herald and
Bedford Times-Mail

Brigade, local bands showcase talent and sportsmanship

By: Jermaine Williams
info@blackhawkbrigade.com
SV Brigade Media Relations

FRENCH LICK, Ind. – This past Saturday, the second annual Springs Valley Festival of Marching Bands entertained over 1,200 fans at football stadium.

The Pride of Paoli, Orleans Bulldog Regiment, Northeast Dubois Marching Jeeps, and Crawford Country Wolfpack Band joined the host Blackhawk Brigade for the event. Over 300 students participated in the festival, which is turning into a large-scale marching band event in southern Indiana.

"The second annual Springs Valley Festival of Marching Bands was a huge success!” said Springs Valley Director of Bands Luke Aylsworth. “I would like to thank our parents, students, administration, fans and sponsors for the huge outpouring of support. It was an awesome night of marching band."

Not only were the local communities treated to this event. Indiana Marching.com, an independent, educational, not-for-profit organization dedicated to providing, receiving, and sharing information related to Indiana high school marching activities, broadcasted the event live on their website. Fans from as far as Dallas, Texas and Grand Junction, Colo. watched the event live from the comfort of their homes. “The idea of being able to watch a live marching band performance from anywhere in the country was special for both the viewers and the performers,” mentioned Northeast Dubois Director Larry Burton, a 1991 graduate of Springs Valley.

"It was neat to have the event broadcasted to a worldwide audience. Indiana Marching.com was here streaming the event on their website. This was a great benefit to our students, school, and community. Our local sponsors received statewide and worldwide recognition. In addition, it was great exposure for our local community,” added Aylsworth.

This pre-season event is a festival, not a competition. The format is such that the bands perform in preparation for the season. “The philosophy of this event is to showcase the talents of fine students, and to create camaraderie among local bands, instead of a sense of competitiveness,” stated Adrian Hartsough, Indiana Marching.com Staff Member and Assistant Director of Bands at Beach Grove City Schools. “From the start as the bands warmed-up and played our National Anthem as one large ensemble, this was the focus. There was even a pizza party for all five bands at the culmination of the evening.”

Sometimes the competitive nature of such events can get out of hand. The point in the festival is to combat that competitive nature and open the doors to supporting everyone. "I hope everyone enjoyed the non-competitive event,” added Aylsworth. “Our goal is to provide education. We cheer when any student learns a new skill and performs it to the best of their ability. It should not matter if that student is from French Lick, Paoli, Orleans, or any other school. I think it is great we had so many fans supporting each organization."

Three of the five bands will hit the contest trail this weekend as Springs Valley and Northeast Dubois will head to Evansville Central. The Brigade performs at 9:43 pm EDT while Dubois performs at 4:39 pm. Orleans heads to Heritage Hills where they take the field at 6:24 pm. Crawford County and Paoli will take one more week off to prepare their shows before their first contest.

More Quotes:

Bill Laughlin (Pride of Paoli Director) – “Great weather, capacity audience in the stands , and, five terrific band shows! That all occurred Saturday at the home of the Springs Valley Blackhawk Brigade. The audience was treated to five totally different, yet creative band shows. All five of the bands played well, marched well, and supported the other groups. After that - the pizza party and camaraderie among the students, parents, and staffs was another great time. We look forward to seeing everyone on the road - and please remember to: ROOT FOR ALL BANDS." Have a great season!"

Larry Burton (Northeast Dubois Director) – “The community of Springs Valley did it again. They put on a wonderful exhibition showcase with state of the art technology. My hat is off to Mr. Aylsworth and the Blackhawk Brigade crew for hosting such a memorable night. As for our performance, I am very proud of the performance that our young band put on the field. The festival gives us an opportunity to fine-tune our show prior to the first official competition. The Marching Jeeps will be traveling to Evansville Central on the 12th, Paoli on the 19th, Corydon and Floyd Central on the 26th, and to Jasper for district on October 3rd.