It’s Time to Celebrate as Blue Devil Band Turns 75
A year of planning will culminate with a sensational birthday party as the Huntington Blue Devil marching band celebrates its 75th anniversary with a reunion of its members, an alumni band presence in the Homecoming Day parade and a festive evening party at the Elks Club.
Could music teacher James Cloyd Doty have ever imagined that the marching band he created in 1934 would not only survive but thrive through wars, depression, budget cuts, changes in leadership, shifting interests of students and society, the closing of one high school and the opening of another and a whole host of minor and major obstacles over the past three-quarters of a century?
Homecoming weekend of Friday and Saturday, October 16-17 is shaping up to be quite a time in the history of the band, with two rehearsals, a parade, on-field performance and party, bringing together alumni and current band members.
Festivities for marching band alumni will include a rehearsal Friday, October 16 from 7-10 p.m. at the high school, another rehearsal Saturday, October 17 from 8:30-10:30 a.m., followed by the Homecoming Day parade through Huntington village, which will kick-off at 11:30 a.m. The alumni band will march together as its own group.
Alumni members will join the current Blue Devil band for a performance of the Star Spangled Banner prior to the 2 p.m. start of Saturday’s football game against Harborfields. A capacity crowd of more than 2,000 is expected to attend the game and halftime festivities.
Dozens of alumni have indicated they will be participating in the Homecoming Day parade. If necessary, alumni can borrow instruments from the school.
Band anniversary polo shirts, featuring a special logo, are on sale for $25. The shirts are required for all alumni members performing with the band. Commemorative anniversary tee-shirts are also be available for $15. For more information about T-shirt orders contact Jen Schmelter at (631) 421-1101 or jasteach@verizon.net.
T-shirt order and alumni band registration forms are available by logging onto the district’s website at www.hufsd.edu and clicking on the link for “The Arts” and then on “Forms and Files” or by logging onto the Band Parents Assn. site at www.bluedevils.eboard.com. The BPA site will also carry event updates.
A celebratory anniversary dinner will be held on Homecoming night, Saturday, October 17 at the Elks Club from 7-11 p.m. All past band members are invited. Tickets are now on sale for $45. Those interested in attending are asked to RSVP no later than October 7. Payment can be made by logging onto PayPal at http://bandanniversary.eventbee.com or by mailing a check payable to Beatrice Clemons to: Anniversary Dinner, c/o B. Clemons, 45 Biltmore Circle, Huntington Station, NY 11746. For more information about the anniversary dinner contact Eva Regan at bregan@rochester.rr.com.
Alumni can obtain more information about the anniversary events by contacting former longtime Blue Devil band director Linda Shoemaker at (631) 549-1033 or lshoemak@verizon.net.
Another anniversary event is being planned for the late spring in 2010 over a two-day period in the high school auditorium. The tentative schedule will see alumni gather on Friday night, June 4 and Saturday afternoon, June 5 to rehearse for an evening concert performance by the band on June 5th. Members of Huntington’s Class of 2010 will be invited to participate along with the alumni members.
From the beginning the marching band was open to all students, according to 1930’s editions of the high school yearbook, The Huntingtonian. The General Organization, as the student government was then called, helped raise the funds necessary for the first uniforms. Led by Huntington Principal Robert L. Simpson, who fancied himself as a singer, songwriter and musician all rolled into one, the school took great pride in those early marching bands. That same pride is felt by the community today.
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