UGA Homecoming was last weekend – my 30th birthday weekend – and that didn’t end well (the game, not the homecoming or birthday).

The only remaining homecoming of the fall is for my high school alma mater, Lassiter High School in Marietta.

Since I was the lead “band geek” – Drum Major in my Senior year – this message makes me want to see the old stadium and band room this Friday night:

Dear Alumni,

When most graduates hear the word Lassiter, they remember the crowded skylight hallway, that one teacher who was out to fail everyone, and the many urges to skip their most dreaded class. You, however, remember the eight hours of practice every week, the fear of hearing your name called from the S.T.E.P. tower, and that exhilarating feeling at the end of a perfect show. For the past twenty-six years, the Lassiter Band has been creating memories different from those of their peers, and, with your help, the program has continued to grow. As a way to show our appreciation, the 2006- 2007 Lassiter Marching Trojan Band cordially invites you to the 26 th Anniversary Homecoming Football Game on Friday evening, October 27, 2006, at 7:00 pm.

This year’s show, Musical Tapestries, contains four movements based on famous painters of the 20 th century; Joan Miró, Pablo Picasso, Jackson Pollock, and Mark Rothko. In the first movement, John Barnes Chance’s Chance Symphony sets the mood for Miró’s style. The show then segues into Solitaire, the perfect ballad to portray Picasso’s Dove of Peace. Following the breath-taking ballad comes David Holsinger’s Scootin’ on Hardrock, accompanied by visuals based on Jackson Pollack paintings. This piece includes a thrilling percussion feature, a dizzying woodwind fugue, and brilliant brass. The show concludes with a goose-bump raising rendition of Eric Ball’s Kingdom Triumphant, featuring the trumpet section playing the melody, with Rothko’s vibrant colors bordering the field.

With band membership around 275 this year, we end our season in St. Louis at the BOA Super Regional on October 21. Over the years, you have strived for excellence, and the 2006-2007 band continues that tradition. We hope that you will join us for the homecoming game and reception afterward. If you have any questions, please call the band office at 678-494-7870, or check the booster website, http://www.lbba.org.

Sincerely,

Hilary Gray

Band President

Plus, I happened to hear that the band came in Third at the Bands of America regional in St. Louis this past weekend and it made me happy.

Here’s the 1998 band’s field performance at Grand Nationals in Indianapolis, the first year Lassiter was National Champion!

The best high school marching band in America. Sorry, Tony.