FRENCH LICK, Ind. - The Blackhawk Brigade is coming on stronger than ever this year. They are not holding back, they are not giving in; they are taking down names and saving the questions for later.

FRENCH LICK, Ind. - The clarinets always try to put their all into practice. We know we make mistakes but as Michelle S. would say, “we just need to go out and throw it all down.”

FRENCH LICK, Ind. - Members of the Springs Valley Blackhawk Brigade, students and staff, will soon all be wearing state championship rings, decided the school board at Monday’s meeting. Members approved the purchase at a cost of $15,000 from the school’s casino funds.

INDIANAPOLIS – “It is our time!”  These were the words of sophomore Chance Kellams spoken to his peers just prior to warm-ups at the ISSMA State Finals at Lucas Oil Stadium on Saturday.  Kellams was right! It was the Springs Valley Blackhawk Brigade’s time.  The students marched to their first state championship in 33 years.

FRENCH LICK, Ind. - “We just had a lot of classes through here that wanted to get better and better and bought into bringing the program back to where we wanted it to, and that led us to Saturday,” Luke Aylsworth commented. “It really is something we want to celebrate with all the alumni and all those bands.”

FRENCH LICK, Ind. - Taking the state championship Saturday will always be something seniors in the Springs Valley Blackhawk Brigade remember. “I could tell it was our best performance of the season,” said Tyler Beyers.

FRENCH LICK, Ind. - The Springs Valley Blackhawk Brigade enjoys more state-championship-spanning family ties than just the father-son connection of John Aylworth, who led the band to the top spot in 1977, and Luke Aylsworth, who repeated the feat on Saturday.

FRENCH LICK, Ind. – Many counties around Indiana can gloat about having a few of their schools heading to state finals. However, Orange County has all three schools, all in the same class, attending the ISSMA State Finals this weekend for only the second time and first in the same class.

FRANKLIN, Ind. – The Springs Valley Blackhawk Brigade earned their 21st state finals bid this past weekend at the ISSMA Semi-State Contest at Franklin Community High School.

FRENCH LICK, Ind. – Divine intervention. That’s how Springs Valley High School Band Director Luke Aylsworth thinks of a set of circumstances that unfolded last week when his Blackhawk Brigade was in the middle of a less-than-satisfactory rehearsal.

FRENCH LICK, Ind. – This weekend, the field of marching bands left in state competition will be cut from 20 to 10 this weekend at the ISSMA Class D Semi-State contest at Franklin Community High School in Franklin.

EVANSVILLE, Ind. – The Springs Valley Blackhawk Brigade made another stride towards their 21st state finals appearance by receiving gold at the ISSMA Regional this past weekend.

FRENCH LICK, Ind. – This Saturday, local bands will all head to Evansville Central High School for the ISSMA South Regional.  Bands are looking to score in the top 10 of the 18 performing bands in Class D.  Those top ten will move to the Class D Semi-State next weekend in Franklin where they will meet the top 10 bands from the north.

GREENWOOD, Ind. - It is not often that a marching band goes undefeated throughout a season.  However, the Springs Valley Blackhawk Brigade has done it, again.  They completed the mark by winning Class D at the Cavalcade of Champions in Greenwood, Ind.

FRENCH LICK, Ind. – This weekend is the final weekend of the marching band regular season.  For four of the local bands, they look to put a final shine of their show before heading to Evansville Central for the ISSMA Regional.

JASPER, Ind. – Although conditions were not ideal as the Springs Valley Blackhawk Brigade took the field on Saturday, they took care of business by earning their eighth consecutive gold rating and trip to regional.

FRENCH LICK, Ind. – The first weekend of October is upon us and that means it is time for the ISSMA District Competition.  This is the opening weekend of three state preliminary performances.  Four of the five local bands will be in Jasper on Saturday.

LOUISVILLE - Back in national competition, the Springs Valley Blackhawk Brigade found themselves just outside of the Regional Finals cut, then were named grand champion at Floyd Central.

FRENCH LICK, Ind. – The Springs Valley Blackhawk Brigade will spend this weekend focused on national competition as they perform at the Bands of America Regional Championships at Papa John’s Stadium in Louisville, Ky

PAOLI, Ind. – The Springs Valley Blackhawk Brigade traveled the 11 miles to the Pride of Paoli Invitational this past Saturday and came home with a first place trophy.

FRENCH LICK, Ind. – Saturday, all local bands will embark on Paoli for the annual Pride of Paoli Invitational. It serves as a home contest for so many in the area including the Blackhawk Brigade.

LINCOLN CITY, Ind. – The Springs Valley Blackhawk Brigade opened the season with two performances and came away from both with first place trophies on opening weekend of the marching band season.

FRENCH LICK, Ind. – The Springs Valley Blackhawk Brigade will get the season going with a bang as they compete in two contest in week one.

FRENCH LICK, Ind. – The 2010 marching band season got underway in Indiana this past Saturday as the Springs Valley Blackhawk Brigade hosted the third annual Festival of Marching Bands.

FRENCH LICK, Ind. – Marching band in the state of Indiana is the best in the nation.  When you scale it down to within the boundaries of this state, Orange County houses three of the top bands in Indiana.

FRENCH LICK, Ind. – All of the local bands will perform in the third annual Springs Valley Festival of Marching Bands.  Joining the festival line-up this year will be Heritage Hills.  Heritage Hills is a seven-time state finalist from Class C.

FRENCH LICK, Ind. – Saturday, local bands will descend on French Lick for the third annual Springs Valley Festival of Marching Bands

FRENCH LICK, Ind. – Eighty hours, hot sun with high heat indices, and long days…  That is the best descriptor for the annual Blackhawk Brigade band camp held at Springs Valley High School. 

June 11, 2010

INDIANAPOLIS - Helen Aylsworth was honored for her years of service to the community on June 10 at Ball State University’s Emens Auditorium in Muncie. Aylsworth received the prestigious Bread and Basin Award during the Indiana Conference of United Methodist Church’s annual gathering.