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Schools

Tri-State Bands Gather for 17th Annual Band Festival

Marching bands from the tri-state area, including Upper St. Clair, arrived to the Peters Township High School stadium on Saturday for an annual evening of music.

High school bands from Burgettstown, Avella, West Greene, Carrick, Keystone Oaks, Chartiers-Houston and came to  to perform alongside the Mighty Indian Marching Band in the 17th Annual Band Festival.

Milt Barney, the high school band director, greeted the visiting bands with a warm welcome. Barney recognized several students who participated in the Front Cover Contest.

Caity Kourakos won the competition and her artwork graced the cover of the program. Other entries were submitted by Rachel and Rebecca Brott, Natalie Dainesi, Georgia Kourakos, Anna Buttgereit, Jon Pfeifer and Nathan Wolk.

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The band played “God Bless America” to open the festivities. They were then joined by the PTHS Choir who sang the alma mater.

Then, Burgettstown Area High School took to the field with songs from Led Zeppelin, such as “Kashmir,” “Black Dog,” “Rock and Roll,” “When the Levee Breaks,” and, of course, the classic “Stairway to Heaven.”

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The Avella Eagles Marching Band performed “Gimme Some Lovin’,” “Love Shack” and a Journey mash-up.

The West Greene High School Pioneer Marching band played “Dynamite,” “Fireflies,” “A Little Latin Flare” and “Firework.”

Carrick High School performed a Beatles medley.

During a brief intermission, Barney took a moment to recognize a group of middle and grade school students who either sing in the choir or play an instrument. The last boy in the group was Andrew Rothaar, whose older brothers, Stephen and Zachary, are current members of the band.

Keystone Oaks rocked the field with “Carry on Wayward Son,” “In A Gadda Da Vida.” “Paint it Black,” “Who Are You,” “Dream On,” “Sweet Caroline,” Back in Black,” “Smoke on the Water” and “Walk this Way.”

The Chartiers–Houston High School Buccaneer Marching Band had a rousing rendition of “Smells Like Teen Spirit.” They went on to play, “She’s Not There,” “Swing, Swing, Swing,” “Forget You” and “Crazy/Run.”

The Upper St. Clair High School Panther Marching Band took to the field in stark black and white uniforms and played a group of jazz fusion songs: “Get It On,” “Handbags and Gladrags” and the Spanish “Malagueno.”

The lucky winning ticket for the 50/50 was announced. The take home amount was approximately $800.

The home band, the Peters Township High School Mighty Indian Marching Band, returned on the field and played “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy,” “Caravan,” and “Sing, Sing, Sing.”

During the event, the concession stand had a steady line of customers and some parents were selling a selection of cookies and desserts. The real bargain came near the end of the show when the moms reduced the price of the baked goods and whole bags of cookies could be purchased for a dollar.

Despite the chilly weather, the audience filled both home and away sections of the stadium, cheering each band as they came to the field.

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