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Home : Quarterly Archives : Volume 30 |
Tredyffrin Easttown Historical Society |
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Source: January 1992 Volume 30 Number 1, Pages 21–26 Our "Ambassadors of Good Will" The Conestoga Marching Band at the Rose Bowl Parade Even though Frank Sinatra was the grand marshal, leading off the 91st annual parade of the Tournament of Roses in Pasadena, California on January 1st, 1980, it was the 114th unit in the line of march that commanded the attention of the residents of Tredyffrin and Easttown townships. That unit was the marching band of Conestoga High School and its featured band front, including the color guard, kickline, and flash flags, under the direction of Dr. Anton Kiehner. Together with members of the school's orchestra, it had made the 3,000+ mile trip from Berwyn to take part in this prestigious and colorful parade and spectacle. The Conestoga High School band was not unaccustomed to making trips to perform at special events and for various occasions. Over the years it had made a number of such trips. It had marched three times in the Tall Cedars' parade at Atlantic City, in 1961, 1962, and 1963, and on seven occasions, from 1973 through 1979, been a part of the Miss America Pageant there. It had performed at two World's Fairs: at the New York World's Fair in 1964, and at Expo '67 in Montreal three years later. It had been to the Cherry Blossom Festival in Washington three times, in 1965, 1968, and 1971. (Actually, the band did not participate in the Festival the second time it went: it arrived on the day that Martin Luther King was killed, and parts of the city were ablaze and the musicians never got out of their busses.) It had performed at the Apple Blossom Festival in Winchester, Virginia in 1969, at Tulip Time in Holland, Michigan in 1974, at the Dogwood Festival in Atlanta in 1975, and at the Cotton Carnival in Memphis in 1978. It had played at Disney World in Orlando, Florida in 1979. It earlier had been in the line of march in the St. Patrick's Day parade in New York City in 1968, and had twice performed at Niagara Falls, in 1972 and 1977. Nearer to home, it had also played at halftime at an Eagles' football game at Veterans' Stadium, and at the Academy of Music in Philadelphia. But none of these had been the Rose Bowl Parade -- and to take part in that parade had been a long- time dream of the band's director, then in his 22d year at Conestoga. With only twenty-two high school bands, half of them from California, invited to participate each year, it was, as Kiehner put it, "the highest you can go". An application form to take part in the parade had been sent to the Tournament of Roses Parade committee early in 1978. It had been supported by recommendations from a number of high school and college band directors who had seen and heard the Conestoga band perform, and also by letters from various local public officials and legislators, including even Pennsylvania's governor, Milton Shapp. The official invitation to participate was received by the school about a year later, on February 20, 1979. To raise the money needed to send 198 students, 42 adults, and 10 chaperones to California, originally estimated at about $100,000, the band did all the things bands traditionally do to raise money. (A request to raffle off an automobile was turned down by the School Board because it was considered a form of gambling, though the Board did make available the proceeds from one of the football games as a contribution.) Two hoagie sales netted about $32,000 through the sale of some 24,000 hoagies, made by the members of TEMPO, the Tredyffrin-Easttown Music Parents' Organization, who were up "making them at 5:00 a.m., then delivering them, and finally eating them!". Two cheese and sausage sales added another $26,000, even though these products were being sold for the first time and "people weren't used to it". ("If the students don't leave Conestoga's band better musicians," one newspaper writer observed, "they at least will be experienced salesmen and saleswomen.") A 24-hour "rockathon", in which band members collected pledged donations for every hour spent rocking in rocking chairs in the foyer of the high school, produced $24,000. (Fortunately for the band members, the night football game scheduled for the evening the "rockathon" ended was postponed because of rain.) A promotion with a local Burger King netted over $1000; another, with radio station WYSP, more than $800. The local business community, through the Paoli Business Association, contributed more than $13,000, and contributions from alumni and friends added another $7,000. Altogether, almost $115,000 was raised, enough to cover the costs of transportation, lodgings, and most of the meals for the group, despite the fact that increases in fuel costs had caused air travel costs to go up while the fund-raising campaign was in progress and the original estimate of the costs had to be raised by about ten per cent. At the same time, the musicians and band front were also busy practicing their music and drill -- not only for the big parade but also to develop and perfect five different routines to be used at the half-time shows at Conestoga's five home football games. In addition to the regular daytime practice sessions on the football field and marching in the parking lot or along a mile-long strip of road that had been blocked off, the band also practiced for two hours two evenings each week. (One member of the band estimated that he practiced, either at school or at home, at least twenty hours a week.) "This band drilled the hardest of any band here in 22 years," Kiehner observed. "Their practices were much more intense." To prepare for the five and a half mile long march on New Year's Day, in early December a two-hour practice at that distance was held on Devon State Road. And to be sure that the length of the march would have only a minimal effect on the quality of the music it was also decided to play just one tune, "March America", over and over during the entire parade route, Kiehner noting that "it's not terribly high for the horns to play and they will be able to sound just as strong at the end of the parade as at the beginning". Finally, before dawn on the morning of December 26th the group left from the parking lot of Conestoga High School for the airport. Its six busses were escorted by vehicles from the Tredyffrin Township police and the Berwyn Fire Company, their red lights flashing and sirens sounding. For some of the members of the group it was to be their first airplane flight. Each person had been given a ten-page outline, listing not only a detailed itinerary, but also information on what to wear, what to pack (and what not to pack), other helpful hints, and even suggestions of places to go and things to do during free time in California. On arrival, the group made its headquarters at the Newport Beach Marriott Hotel. ("A word of praise about your band," the hotel's sales manager later wrote. "They were a joy to have as our guests and we would welcome them back anytime.") While the Rose Bowl Parade was the highlight of the trip, the band and orchestra also gave several other concerts and performances while in California. Among them were concerts by both the orchestra and symphonic band at the Six Flags Magic Mountain amusement park and a parade and performance at Disneyland which the music coordinator at Disneyland described as a "memorable" occasion. Second in excitement only to the Rose Bowl Parade itself, however, was an "instant parade" the preceding Saturday in Tijuana, across the border in Mexico. Upon its arrival, the band lined up and marched down the main street, with cheering native boys and girls running along with it and following it to City Hall.
Newspaper coverage of the event There it gave an impromptu concert of football songs and other numbers, and was officially greeted and thanked by various public officials, including the alcalde or mayor, who presented the group with a key to the city. After a lunch of "the works in Mexican food" ("Do try everything," the ten-page outline had suggested, but added "no extra beverages -- they will ask you if you want them and you say NO!") everyone was free for three hours of sightseeing and shopping ("Keep your wallets and purses secure") before returning to the United States and dinner at McDonalds', five busses arriving all at once. Other sightseeing trips included a tour of Hollywood, passing Mann's Chinese Theatre, the Hollywood Bowl, the Queen Mary, and the homes of movie and TV stars in Beverly Hills and Bel Air, Santa Monica, and the Sunset Strip; a visit to the Farmer's Market; dinner at the Knotts Berry Farm; and a tour through Universal Studios and the Rose Bowl float area; as well as free time at both Magic Mountain and Disneyland. Participating and performing in the Tournament of Roses Parade was everything it had been expected to be. An estimated two million people lined the route of the march to watch the extravaganza, among them, incidentally, Dr. Kiehner's father. Also in the stands were the former superintendent of the T-E School District, Dr. J. Maurice Strattan, and his wife, both of whom were enthusiastically greeted by the band's director. In fact, all along the line of march Dr. Kiehner mixed with the crowd, going into the stands to say "hello" and "going out of his way to make people happy". Although the band's scheduled repertoire was to be limited only to "March America", on one occasion, when the parade experienced an unexpected delay, the musicians added other selections to entertain the cheering and appreciative crowd as it waited for the parade to resume. Everyone in the group survived the five and a half mile march -- "as fresh at the end as at the beginning", according to Kiehner. (While this may have been a slight exaggeration, for a finishing flourish the band played "March America" "one more time" after the parade route had been completed, before getting ready to go to the Rose Bowl game and then taking part in a "New Year's Eve Party" -- one day late -- that night!) With the parade televised over both WCAU-TV on Channel 10 and KYW-TV on Channel 3, families in the Tredyffrin-Easttown area were able to see the band's performance, albeit only briefly. With the national television coverage given the parade, however, the Conestoga High School band was also seen by viewers in other sections of the country, including many alumni. Several of them wrote of their surprise and thrill at seeing their "old high school" on television. From Idaho, for example, one graduate, a former violinist in the school's orchestra, wrote, "I just happened to be watching the Rose Bowl parade on New Year's Day and I couldn't believe my eyes! What an honor for the Conestoga marching band to be invited to such a prestigious and important affair. I was very proud to say that this was my high school ... how sharp and great everyone looked." Another wrote, "Chills ran up and down my spine as my family and I sat glued to the TV in the hope that we would catch the slightest glimpse of the marching unit. Much to our delight, we saw more than a glimpse. The coverage was fantastic and I sat entranced as I watched my alma mater performing on national TV." From a graduate in Ohio: "One of the highlights of our holiday season ... was watching the Conestoga High School band march in the Rose Bowl parade. The group looked great!" Another graduate commented, "The kids really tootled and sounded great! How the band has grown." And from Maryland came a letter extending congratulations on the band's performance from a graduate of the Class of 1925 -- five years before the high school, then Tredyffrin-Easttown High School, even had a band! The overall reaction to the whole trip was perhaps best summarized in a letter from a vice-president of the travel agency that handled the travel arrangements. "The Conestoga band," he wrote, "is tops in my books. They were not only ambassadors of good will for Berwyn, but they were a fine example of good citizens, top performers, and outstanding leaders." Or, as one of the band members put it after his return, "Things couldn't have gone better" -- when Conestoga High School's band was in the Rose Bowl Parade. TopSources Conversations with Dr. Anton Kiehner Files of the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Philadelphia Evening Bulletin, the West Chester Daily Local News, and the Wayne Suburban |
