Local News
Band season begins today
Six local bands are in contests this weekend.
Marching band schedule
These Kokomo-area marching bands will compete in these contests today:
Star City Marching Festival, Jefferson High School, Lafayette:
Class D: 5:25 p.m. Eastern, 5:51 p.m. Taylor and 6:13 p.m. Tri-Central
Class A: 8:40 p.m. Kokomo, Spirit of Central Invitational, Lawrence and Central High School, Indianapolis
Class C: 6:24 p.m. Northwestern and 6:50 p.m. Western
GREENTOWN — Eastern High School marching band members have prepared for the 2009 competition season since mid-summer, spending hours on their practice field perfecting their show.
Today, the Comet Command and Golden Guard will be among the Kokomo-area bands kicking off the competition season.
Eastern, Taylor, Northwestern, Western and Kokomo’s bands will be at the Star City Invitational in Lafayette, while Tri-Central’s marching band will compete in the Spirit of Central Invitational in Indianapolis.
Eastern director Joel Matthews said band members are “feeling pretty confident and really proud of the work they’ve done. We’re ready to get out and have a chance to compete this weekend.”
His goal for the first weekend of competition is “to have a solid first performance.”
“We want to do our best to sell our product and then, after all is said and done, to see where we stand right now,” he said.
Long-term goals are for band members to continue growing and improving as musicians, he said, and for student leaders to continue to push the group to have a good product on the field.
Matthews said he’s proud of the leadership shown by students this season.
Eastern’s show is called “When I Grow Up,” and starts with the voices of elementary children saying what they want to be when they grow up. Later, guard members put on the clothes of people they want to be.
Matthews said when he was planning the show, “in light of the economy in the area, we wanted to pick something that was uplifting.”
It’s also created life lessons for band members.
“We’ve been doing some talking about a figure who inspired them and really helping them to relate on a personal level.”
Matthews said the band performed the show for the first time at Eastern’s homecoming game, and he’s had positive response.
“I felt like the crowd was very respectful. We caught their attention early in the show. I had several people from the community and school administrators compliment us on our performance. It’s been nice to see the community being so outspoken in support of the band.”
• Danielle Rush is the Kokomo Tribune education reporter. She can be reached at (765) 454-8585 or danielle.rush@kokomotribune.com.
- Local News
-
-
Kokomo church struggles to pay cleanup debt
Pastor Dwight Hobson says he can’t understand why the state of Indiana is insisting on taking the money out of his collection plate.
After all, Hobson says, he is saving the state money by counseling teenagers on Kokomo’s near east side, keeping them away from gangs, drugs and teen pregnancy.
-
County council OKs funds for event center repairs
The Howard County Council on Tuesday night approved funding for repairs to the Kokomo Event Center’s roof, which should cost about a third as much as previously estimated.
-
‘Delphi isn’t closing anything’
Delphi Automotive Systems LLC says it will not close any of its operations in Kokomo.
Company spokeswoman Linda Ferries has responded to reports posted this afternoon on Inside INdiana Business’ website. She said the reported information is incorrect. The Indianapolis-based news agency quoted United Auto Workers Region 3 Director Maurice Davison as saying Delphi will phase out its Kokomo operations in 2012.
-
Nude drawings prompt arrest
Two drawings that police say depict a naked underage girl have allegedy landed a Sharpsville man behind bars on two counts of felony possession of child pornography.
-
Korean War veterans honored in Armistice Day event
A handful of Korean veterans stood at attention Tuesday to honor the brave soldiers who didn’t make it home after the three-year war in Southeast Asia.
-
Center Road closed for U.S. 31 work
Center Road is now closed between 150 East and 350 East, due to construction work on the U.S. 31 Kokomo Corridor bypass.
-
Councilman brings up business prospect at meeting
Kokomo Common Councilman Bob Cameron took more than a few people by surprise Monday when he asked area economic development director Jeb Conrad to come to the microphone.
-
Standoff ends in suicide
A Tipton County man allegedly fired a shotgun at a neighboring house late Monday before committing suicide, Howard County Sheriff Marty Talbert reported.
-
Duke Energy cuts power to apartments
Duke Energy Corp. says it had to cut power Tuesday to a Kokomo apartment building that dates back to the Great Depression because of “serious safety hazards.”
-
Goodnight supports combined dispatch plan
Kokomo Mayor Greg Goodnight threw his support behind a cost-saving plan to combine city and county dispatch services Monday evening, and urged the Kokomo Common Council to do the same.
- More Local News Headlines
-
