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 accomodate the larger group.