As
the band gathered strength in the seventies, it undertook more traveling
adventures. We were privileged to make several appearances at the Chautauqua
Institution in New York, before they changed their policy to exclude amateur
organizations.
The
most exciting trip of the seventies was a Bicentennial concert in Philadelphia.
The band had traveled with the Venango Greys to the Centennial celebration in
1876, so our 1976 return made us the only non-military group to perform in
Philly for both celebrations.
Through
the eighties, under the direction of Ed Frye, the band
became larger, stronger and more accomplished. We appeared at Hershey Park, the
Smithsonian Institution, The Henry Ford Museum, and Rohobeth Beach. Back at
home, the band had become so large that when the city finally added a roof to
the war memorial bandstand in the park, they also extended the stage to
accommodate the larger group.
