THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, October 20, 1996 TAG: 9610180195
SECTION: CHESAPEAKE CLIPPER PAGE: 03 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: Eric Feber
LENGTH: 56 lines
Oscar F. Smith High School's marching band is on a winning streak.
The band took a first-place award for its horns and a first-place place award overall at the Churchland High School Band Classic Sept. 21. Flush with those results, the band journeyed to Edenton, N.C., to participate in the 21st Peanut Festival Band Competition at John A. Holmes High School.
The festival drew 20 high school marching bands from throughout North Carolina and a few neighboring states. The Oscar F. Smith band, with 50 musicians and 13 color guard members, participated in a category that included six other bands, all from North Carolina.
Those Tar Heel bands didn't know what hit them. The Smith musicians took first place in color guard, first place in horns, first in percussion and, most important, first place in overall performance and marching/musical skill.
``This is the first time in at least 15 years that we've won these kinds of awards,'' said Bonnie Bergey, a member of the Oscar F. Smith Band Boosters Association, whose daughter, Katy Sanders, is a clarinet and percussion player. ``In the past we've won occasional second- and third-place awards but nothing like this.''
Bergey credits much of the band's success to its seven-year band director, Scott D. Lane III.
``He's wonderful,'' she said. ``He motivates the students. He's young. He has lots of energy.
``They had a great band camp,'' she said. ``They could sense it then.''
She said this year's band is smaller than previous years and, with Lane's work and motivation, they feel part of a close-knit musical family.
``They're all very much in tune with each other,'' Bergey said. ``Their music is good, and they have a lot of pep. Everybody gets along, and we have an awful lot of parent input and support.''
She said the band is now gearing up for next weekend's Tidewater Festival of Marching Bands at Indian River High School. Hickory taking off
The Oscar F. Smith High School band isn't the only local band getting notice.
The band at Chesapeake's newest high school, Hickory High, participated last month in the Bayside Band Classic in Virginia Beach.
The competition drew 18 marching bands from Virginia, North Carolina and Washington.
The Hickory Hawks competed in the AAA category for bands with 61 to 89 members. The Hickory band, under the direction of David D. Enloe, has 86 musicians and color guard members.
No, the Hawks didn't fly away with any first-place awards. But its first band competition went well and points to a solid future, Enloe said.
``We were fourth place overall for the triple-A category,'' said Enloe, who is former band director of Gordon Central High School in Calhoun, Ga. ``I would never have expected it. I knew we were doing well. We're on the right track now. I'm real proud of the way they performed.'' by CNB