My opportunity to be a member of the 1976 All Ohio State Fair Band remains one of the great, unforgettable experiences of my life.
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| That's me, almost in the dead center of the band |
Performing with such a large group of excellent high school musicians, and being able to be at the State Fair for several weeks was a big thrill. It's something I think about every year when the State Fair opens. I can hardly believe it was 50 years ago, during the nation's bicentennial year.
I did miss the summer band camp of the Admiral King Marching Band, and the photo taken for the football program. But it was worth it.
Anyway, a few years ago I picked up a copy of the 1976 Ohio State Fair program on eBay, and the memories came flooding back. It's interesting to flip through it and get a little taste of the Fair that year. Check out the incredible lineup of entertainers, including Johnny Cash, The Osmonds, Bob Hope, Red Skelton, Tanya Tucker, Lynn Anderson, Neil Sedaka, John Davidson, Pat Boone, Mac Davis, The 5th Dimension, Telly Savalas, KC & The Sunshine Band, and Dan Fleenor's Hurricane Hell Drivers – wow!
Since Borden was a sponsor of the Ohio State Fair, and was headquartered in Columbus at that time, the program was full of company ads. Here's a great one with our favorite dairy cow Elsie, as well as her husband Elmer (of Elmer's Glue fame) and their calf, Beauregard.
Much of the program consisted of pages with the Fair schedule. Here are two of them. Band members used these to decide what to do with our free time (what little there was of it). It was fun going to the various pavilions where live TV shows were being broadcast from the Fair, including TV icons Flippo the Clown (from Columbus) and Bob Braun (from Cincinnati).
I've written before how sad all of the band members were during our last performance on the grounds of Rhodes Center, our home during the Fair. Kids were crying and choking back tears; we just didn't want it to end. (One reason I didn't want it to end was that I had a crush on the trombone player sitting next to me; I wonder where she is today?)
Anyway, while the rest of the band members were packing up to go home, those of us who were in the 1976 All Ohio State Fair Stage Band (including me) got to stay a little longer, pretty much until the end of the Fair. It was odd without all the other band members there, but it was still fun.
Here's our group shot, which I haven't posted before. I still remember the names of the two of the other trombone players.
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Be sure to visit my original
All Ohio State Fair Band post where I go into more detail about my experience as a band member. I also write about 'meeting' Colonel Sanders, and seeing Bob Hope and Red Skelton up close.
