Nominated by Mayor Mark Smith, the Bayonne High School Marching Band has been invited to take part in the 2013 Memorial Day Parade in Washington D.C.
Band Director Serge Puchinsky said that while he knew of the nomination, he did not expect for Bayonne to be chosen to represent New Jersey in the parade.
“Usually they go for larger bands of a 100 pieces or more,” he said.
The BHS Marching Band has about 40 pieces, including the drum section.
“I guess we pack a big punch,” Puchinsky said.
Re-established in 2004, the annual event is now held in conjunction with the American Veterans Center and Music Celebrations International.
The three-hour parade passes alongside the National Mall on Constitution Avenue between Seventh and 17th streets and through many of the most significant monuments in the nation’s capital. The parade consists of select marching bands and veteran units from each of the 50 states, and includes more than 10,000 participants annually.
Timothy Craig, director of the arts and music programs at Bayonne High School, said this is going to be a major endeavor over the next year to raise the money to get the band there since each band must pay its own expenses – about $500 per student. While the total number of students expected to make the trip is not yet known, the fundraising effort is starting immediately since the color guard and others will also be included.
Puchinsky said the band has several opportunities to perform, including its jazz band and concert band, depending on scheduling. The choir will also likely make the trip.
To be eligible, the band had to submit a video of a recent performance, and biography material for the director and assistant director.
“I guess we pack a big punch.” – Serge Puchinsky
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While it is not clear why the band was selected over others in New Jersey, Schools Superintendent Dr. Patricia McGeehan suspects that it may be because a former resident of Bayonne was named to the Joint Chiefs of Staff last year, and that Bayonne has had two Congressional Medal of Honor winners, one of whom, Nicholas Oresko, is the oldest in the nation.
To raise money for the event, the band is holding a fundraiser with either the name “A Buck for Washington” or “One Band, One Parade, One Dollar” – or perhaps both.
“All we’re asking is that everybody chip in at least one dollar,” Craig said.
If they do raise the funds, the band and its entourage will arrive in Washington D.C. on Friday, May 24, 2013, where they will also take part in sightseeing, dinner, and a visit to the Marine Barracks for the official evening parade of Marines in full dress uniform.
On Saturday, May 25, 2013, they will visit the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum; Ford’s Theater; the Lincoln, Korean, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Vietnam, and National World War II memorials; and the Washington Monument.
On Sunday, May 26, 2013, they will visit the Arlington National Cemetery and participate in the special U.S. Military Wreath Laying Ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Later, they will visit the Smithsonian Institute Museum, and will either attend the U.S. Marine Band “Summer Blast Off” at Wolf Trap National Park or the official National Memorial Day Concert on the West Lawn of the U.S. Capital.
If they do raise the funds, the band poses a problem for the City of Bayonne since it is likely that the mayor and many of the dignitaries that take part in the Bayonne Memorial Day Parade will be going to Washington D.C. to watch the band march there.
The BHS Marching Band is also one of the mainstays of local parades, which means Bayonne might have to reschedule its own parade in order to accommodate this trip.
To contribute to the band’s trip, people should contact the music department or visit the band’s page on the Bayonne High School Web site.