Manville High band festival returning after 9-year hiatus

By Eileen Oldfield
   It was September 1999, and the first band that would compete at Manville High School’s Marching Band Festival was lined up to march onto the school’s football field. But that band and the other bands scheduled to compete that day never made it onto the field — severe whether from Hurricane Floyd shut down the event and forced future festivals into a hiatus.
   Nine years later, the festival is back and slated for Oct. 18 from 6 to 10 p.m. at Ned Panfile Stadium.
   With the festival being a fundraiser for the music program that offsets its production cost, canceling the 1999 event meant a huge financial toll — festival judges still needed to be paid, and the organizers spent money on food and programs without making the expenses back. Coupled with damages to uniforms, instruments and equipment from the flood, holding another festival simply wasn’t viable until this year.
   ”I’m getting excited,” Manville Music Association President Joe Burris said. “This is all done for the band kids. If they’re sad, I’m sad; if they’re happy, I’m ecstatic.”
   Tickets to enter the festival are $7, with programs and food costing extra.
   Eight bands are scheduled to perform at the show, with Manville’s own Marching Band performing an exhibition before the awards ceremony.
   The Manville festival is part of a two-show competition known as a “Super Saturday”— one high school in an area hosts an afternoon show — in this case, Franklin High School in Somerset — while a second school hosts an evening show. Bands that compete in the afternoon show also compete in the evening show, with the hosting bands being able to perform both competitively and in exhibition.
   Both the students and their parents have duties at the shows, whether it’s students escorting the bands onto the field, or the parents coordinating practice spaces.
   Planning for the festival began last year, when students in the program said they’d like to host a marching band festival similar to the ones the band competes at almost every weekend of the season. The event is being organized by the Manville Music Association, which consists of both current students’ parents and some program alumni. Research on festival setup and the cost to host such an event began as early as last August. Since many of the parents did not have children in the program before the festivals ended in 1999, the Manville Music Association reached out to former Music Association presidents for information on organizing and hosting a festival.
   ”We slowly nurtured it to get it to this phase,” Mr. Burris said. “We fine-tuned it, and everything is falling into place.”
   Though most of the operations are mapped out, trophies purchased and parents’ duties coordinated, the Music Association is still looking for sponsors for the show’s program and food donations, Mr. Burris said. Those interested in providing food or purchasing an advertisement in the program can contact Mr. Burris at 908-725-5634.
   Though planning the festival took almost a year, Mr. Burris said the Music Association parents were willing to work toward the goal despite the huge undertaking.
   ”People get a little skittish about trying something new,” he said. “We jumped into it with both feet, and it’s going to work. The parents are very helpful with doing what they’re asked to do. They have no problems standing up to the plate.”