Marching toward the Big Apple

The parade route runs about 40 blocks.
By DENISE DICK
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
BOARDMAN -- The Spartan Marching Band will march on the Big Apple, honoring those who fought in American wars.
The band is part of Veterans Day Parade on Friday in New York City.
Thomas Ruggieri, director of bands, said the same production company that produces that city's St. Patrick's Day Parade, in which the Boardman band participated several years ago, produced the Veterans event.
"They were familiar with the Boardman band because of that," Ruggieri said.
Of the band's 202 pieces, 195 members will make the trip on five charter buses that leave Wednesday and travel through the night.
They'll assemble at Fifth Avenue and 24th Street and march about 40 blocks along the parade route.
It will be a first trip to the Big Apple for senior Mark Catalano, president of the band.
Besides performing on the bass drum in the parade, where he and fellow senior Nicholas Sainato share the title of percussion section leader, Catalano is looking forward to a visit to Birdland, a renowned New York City jazz club.
That's where a lot of the famous musicians who Catalano admires, including the late Miles Davis and John Coltrane, have played, he said.
The club is named for the late Charlie "Bird" Parker, a famous alto saxophonist.
Besides playing bass drum in the marching band, Catalano also plays guitar in the jazz ensemble, which also will perform during Veterans Day observances. He and Sainato also are members of local rock band Another Left Behind.
Band's plans
During their trek along Fifth Avenue, band members will perform patriotic selections including an Armed Forces medley, "Grand Old Flag," and "March America" as well as "Phantom of the Opera," representative of the city where that show is playing on Broadway.
The band also has been picked to perform before the city's Veterans Day ceremony on the deck of the U.S.S. Intrepid. Among the selections for that performance, the young musicians will play "In the Mood," a popular hit from the World War II era.
While not performing, band members will do some sightseeing including ground zero, the Empire State Building and take in a Broadway show.
"Most of us are going to see 'The Phantom of the Opera,' and about 25 percent of the kids are going to see the Billy Joel musical, 'Moving Out,'" Ruggieri said.
Friends and family members also may get a glimpse of the band members Thursday morning in the crowd outside of the "Today" show.
denise_dick@vindy.com