Second Time Around band seeks musicians, twirlers

Each year, when the Second Time Around band marches along the Swedish Days parade route, those who enjoyed their days in high school marching bands have to look on and think, "It would be fun to still do that."

Or maybe not, based on the band's dwindling numbers.

The Second Time Around Band, made up of past high school marching band musicians, and baton, flag and rifle twirlers, is in need of an infusion of new members. It is currently down to less than 20 members.

"We are seeking younger and more energized members," said Joy Nelson, who has twirled the baton in the band since 1999 and hasn't missed a parade since.

The band has been around since 1998, when Jean Gaines of the Geneva Chamber of Commerce, volunteer Darlene Hoch and volunteer band director Pat Fredericks, the high school band director, came up with the concept and organized it.

"It is a non-structured, fun band that enjoys playing to the crowd," Nelson said. In other words, you can ham it up a bit without worrying about your high school band director giving you a hard time about it later. And, generally speaking, there are no rehearsals.

"We do not want the community band idea to die," said Nelson, who convinced Chris Willard, her fellow baton twirler from St. Charles High School and Northern Illinois University days, to join the band.

Willard took the challenge, and I do mean challenge. She lives in Florida and makes it up here for the Swedish Days parade each year.

"This also is a challenge for Chris and I because we are 67 and 68," Nelson said, referring to the need for some younger blood.

Lisa Bleck Murphy also twirls with the group, and she was a highly regarded twirler at Geneva High School several years ago and currently teaches in the district. Nelson, Willard and Murphy all learned their trade from Marlyn Majorettes in Sycamore.

Nelson has been in charge of organizing the band since 2007, but new band director David Pollina, a Geneva High grad who now attends Drake, is taking on that task now.

Anyone interested in belting out "Roll Out the Barrel," "Hey, Baby" or "Louie, Louie" along the parade route with this band should contact Pollina at david.pollina@drake.edu or call the Geneva Chamber of Commerce at (630) 232-6060.

Round 'em up:

The story about Batavia resident Georgiana Vitti's research into the stagecoach lines that served the Tri-Cities area so many years ago sparked plenty of interest.

But Vitti herself was surprised that I mentioned an older colleague once told me he was part of a cattle drive out of Sycamore into this area so the herds could be sent into Chicago by rail.

Turns out, she came across that same information in her research about stagecoach lines and knows the location of that cattle drive trail.

It was called the "Iowa to Chicago," or "IC Trail," and followed a stagecoach route, Vitti said.

"It later became a railroad line, following and paralleling Route 64 through Kane County and St. Charles Road in DuPage County," Vitti added.

Area residents may not know it, but they spend time on part of that route today if they are walkers, runners or bikers. It's called the Great Western Trail, a 17-mile stretch from St. Charles into Sycamore.

Some could relive the feel of a cattle drive by actually riding a horse along the route, as horseback riding is allowed on a trail adjacent to the Great Western Trail.

"After the Civil War, when the railroad was built, the cattle were loaded in Sycamore and St. Charles and shipped to Chicago," Vitti said.

Bring on Goose:

After all these years, it appears Blue Goose is close to a deal to expand in the Tri-Cities with a store in the heart of downtown Batavia. What can I share to those who may have never shopped at the Goose?

Among other things, you'll really like the meat at this place.

Those Hall inductees:

The Batavia Hall of Honor inductees being feted on Sept. 15 at the Batavia Fine Arts Centre at the high school caught my attention, partly because I have spent a fair amount of time with a few of them - and I didn't attend Batavia High.

Of course, I've known Rudy Dubis since I came to this area in the late 1970s as a sports editor and have listened to him work as the public address announcer at Bulldog football and basketball games ever since.

That, of course, means I have known current Batavia football coach Dennis Piron nearly as long, though he's a youngster in my book. He graduated in 1983, a good six years after I arrived on the scene.

We could talk about football all day, but Piron still gets a kick out of the time I played golf with him and my work colleagues, Corey Clark and Chris Cudworth, maybe 25 years ago. What was so funny?

When Cudworth took a sharp turn while driving the golf cart, I flew out and probably rolled as far as any shot I took that day. Piron somehow still remembers to bring that up.

I worked with another inductee, Lori Anderson Gregorski, a 1986 graduate, for many years, though she was in sales and I was in editorial at the newspaper.

She's being honored for her work in raising money for the Multiple Sclerosis Society and Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. I was sorry to hear she had been diagnosed with MS, but she sounds focused on battling that and raising money for a cure.

Remembering D-Day:

On Monday, June 6, it will be 72 years since our nation's finest stormed the beaches of Normandy on D-Day, and it is fitting that the St. Charles Public Library is hosting "The Airborne on D-Day" presentation at 7 p.m. Monday in the Carnegie Community Room, 1 S. Sixth Ave.

Veteran battlefield historian Robert Mueller will discuss the operations of the men who served in the U.S. 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions.

For those who know their history, these are the guys who dropped paratroopers behind enemy lines at night prior to the invasion.

Mueller served in the U.S. Army Signal Corps during the Vietnam War. Register for this program at the library reference desk or by calling (630) 584-0076, ext. 1.

dheun@sbcglobal.net