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MCHS marching band takes first place in championship

Band wins TOB Atlantic Coast Championship

Editor’s Note: This article is being republished due to the difficulty readers had in reading the story as it was formatted in the Monday, Nov. 5 edition.

LEWISTOWN–“WOW, what a day to remember!”

Those are some of the first words Mifflin County High School Band Director Art Belfiore said to the band members after the awards ceremony at the 46th Annual Tournament of Bands, Group 3-A Class Atlantic Coast Championship band competition which was held Saturday at West Shore Stadium at Cedar Cliff High School in Camp Hill.

Belfiore said, “The band had a great week of rehearsals and was really pumped up for the trip to ACC’s. My goal for them was to go out and have the best show of the year. I told them if they did that, everything else would take care of itself. They did that and more! Everyone associated with the program is so proud of what the students, (aged 13-18), accomplished over the course of the fall and competitive season.”

He added, “I would be remiss if I did not thank all of the people who helped make this championship possible, especially my wife Pauli. Some days it is tough being married to a high school band director and this was a long season. She has always been there for me whether I have a good or bad day. It was special for her to be at the show and enjoy the day with me and the band. We are also so fortunate to have a gifted staff who know how to teach, develop talent and really care about the students. The people who work tirelessly for the band are the parents and music boosters who do everything from moving equipment, chaperoning, loading and unloading our equipment trucks, raising money and countless other things to support the program. I am also so grateful for the continued support of the administration at both MCHS and MCJHS as well as the administration and school board of the Mifflin County School District.”

Belfiore said the “best and worst” part of the evening was hearing the results.

“The stadium announcer goes real slow to build up tension. It is an absolutely awful feeling. When he finally announced the winner, I felt so happy for the students who have worked so hard over the last 13 weeks. They really earned this championship. The community response upon our arrival back in Lewistown was awesome. A police escort through town with fire trucks and more than 30 vehicles. They students felt like celebrities.”

The Tournament of Bands includes bands from eight eastern states, (N.Y., N.J., Del., Pa., Ohio, Va., W.V. and Md.). The results of Saturday’s competition are:

–Mifflin County HS, (Lewistown)-92.090 and specialty awards for Best Music and Best Marching/Visual

–William Penn HS, (New Castle, Del.)-90.630 and specialty awards for Best Guard and Best Drum Line

–Carteret HS, (Carteret, N.J.)-89.890

–Middletown Area HS, (Middletown)-89.090

–Toms River East HS, (Toms River, N.J.)-88.925

–North Bergen HS, (North Bergen, N.J.)-88.900

–Lake Forest HS, (Felton, Del.)-87.155

–Spring Mills HS, (Martinsburg, W.V.)-84.930

–Homer-Center HS, (Homer City)-84.460

–Polytech HS, (Woodside, Del.)-83.865

–Laurel HS, (Laurel, Del.)-83.110

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