Scout House Buglers Hall Of Fame Buffalo Regional Performance

Preston Scout House, of Cambridge, Ontario, will be shuffling off to Buffalo, New York to perform at the Buglers Hall of Fame regional contest on April 5, the third time a significant era in the Band’s history has started in the border city.

The very first Scout House international road trip, a 1,400 mile bus ride to Rhode Island with members sitting three to a seat, started with an appearance in Buffalo in July, 1947. When Scout House began performing again in 1999, the first trip across the border was to march in Buffalo’s Labour Day parade.

The exhibition performance during the third regional Buglers Hall of Fame contest of 2014 marks the start of another new era in Scout House history, following the celebration of the group’s 75th anniversary in 2013. There’ll be new sights and sounds offered to spectators over the coming weeks, including new music on the exhibition field, a rifle/banner spin line and, a little later this year, new uniforms, the first design upgrade in fifteen years.

The music for 2014 will include, as usual, a blend of new tunes and fan-favourite Scout House heritage numbers. The field show will include a driving arrangement of Miserlou, performed originally in the 1920s as a desert love song and transformed into a modern rock classic by the Beach Boys and guitar legend Dick Dale. Miserlou was introduced during a Scout House exhibition performance before packed bleachers and standing room audience at the Ventures Winter Guards show in Waterloo on March 23.

Scout House will play Dave MacKinnon’s arrangement of Chuck Mangione’s popular composition The Land of Make Believe as a moving concert, partly on the move and partly standing still with special percussion sound effects adding a wistful touch to the music.

Waltzing Matilda, the Band’s signature song since the mid 1950s is presented this year in military style with a formal introduction by the percussion section and glockenspiels establishing the mood.

The repertoire also includes Waterloo Fanfare, recalling the days when Scout House dominated Waterloo Music Festival field shows and parades throughout the 1940s and 1950s; Johnny One Note, the novelty number made popular by Judy Garland; and Through The Eyes of Love, the emotional love ballad from the movie Ice Castles. Spectators will still be able to tap their toes and clap along in time to the music when Scout House plays Colonel Bogey March to wind up performances.

The Buffalo regional Buglers Hall of Fame contest, co-sponsored with The Ghost Riders, will take place starting at 1 pm at American Legion Sikora Post 1322, 950 Payne Avenue, North Tonawanda. The contest is one of four regionals, leading up to the 8th annual championships to be held in Bridgeport, Connecticut on April 26.

The Buffalo contest will include exhibition performances by Scout House, St Joe’s Reunion Brass, Mighty St Joe’s Alumni Corps, Hamburg Kingsmen, Niagara Militaires and Ghost Riders in addition to individuals, duets, quartets and ensembles in competition,

The mission of the Buglers Hall of Fame is to preserve, promote and perpetuate the art of bugling by recognizing and honoring those who have displayed superior performance skills and have demonstrated valuable and significant long-term influence on the art of bugle performance by their example to or mentoring of others.

Other Scout House events that will take place before outdoor performances begin in mid-May include the April 17 Black Thursday Pub night, an evening of camaraderie, reminiscing and a salute to local drum corps giants John Robins and Al Strassburger, beginning at 7 pm at the Preston Knights of Columbus building at 333 Speedsville Road in the Preston district of Cambridge. The Spring Opening arena show at Preston Memorial Auditorium on Sunday, April 27 will feature the full band, traditional colour guard, rifle/banner spin squad, heritage drill team and the Ventures and St. John’s of Brantford winter guards.

Admission to both events is free, with plenty of free parking available.

For more information about Preston Scout House Band, contact Activities Director Nancy Weiler at telephone (519) 653-3376, email prestonscouthouseband [dot] adm [at] sympatico [dot] ca or visit the Web site at http://www.scouthouseband.com/