NYC-WTC_000230682

NYC 9/11 Public Portal Document

THE NEW/ York times, SUNDAY. OCTOBER 7, 2001

Patriotism Will Define Columbus Day Parade By DAVID W. CHEN a lot of red, white and blue instead ly, are disappointed that they will not The route, up Fifth Avenue, will be of red, white and green. Fifth Avenue be participating, many parents and the same. There will be a grand will echo with the strains of “Stars school officials said there is a sense marshal, too; Bobby Valentine, the and Stripes Forever” and "God of relief, too. ■ manager of the Mets. Bless America." The traditional “Our sense is that until they re­ But almost every other aspect of competition among bands will be solve their issues with the deceased, the Columbus Day Parade tomorrow suspended. it's still somewhat of a sacred will be markedly different after the In all, about seven or eight bands ground,” said Robert Dillon, superin­ terrorist attacks on Sept. 11. One- have canceled, leaving 10 high school tendent of the East Meadow Union third of the high school bands sched­ and 10 adult bands. And some par- Free School District. “Out of respect uled to march have pulled out. Patri-' ticipating bands will function with for what's going on there, 1 wouldn’t otism, not Italian-American herit- smaller crews. have a parade in a funeral home," age, will flavor the music. And the The All-City marching band for the Members of participating bands crowd’s mood promises to be som- Board of Education will have per- have mixed emotions, too. But they ber, muted, perhaps even defiant. haps two-thirds of its 90 members in also believe that their appearance “I don’t think anything about this tJie parade. Douglas Ocharsky, the can help. parade will ever be the same,” said band director, said the music would “I basically told the kids that this Alfred Catalanotto, the chairman of be different this year. “We usually is an opportunity for them to contrib­ the parade, which is organized by the play something that’s- ethnically ap- ute to the healing in New York,” said Columbus Citizens Foundation, propriate, but if you don’t play patri- Michael Antonelli, band director at ’‘We’re looking to do more of a trib- otic music at a time like this, why Valley Central High School, in Mont­ Ute. I don’t even like using the word would anybody ever write any?” he gomery, N.Y., just outside New­ parade." said. “Maybe we'll throw in ‘New burgh. "And I know it’s important to For a time, it was uncertain wheth- York, New York,’ put a little pride in the organizers, too. They called us three limes in the last week, saying; er the parade, now in its 57th year, there, make people feel good.” 'We're counting on you,’ We’re really would even be held. But two weeks One of the absent groups will be counting on you.' ” ago, Mr. Catalanotto said, city offi- the 225-member Perry Hall High dials decided to go ahead with the School marching band from Balti- ■ parade as the first major street more. When school officials sur- event since the terrorist attacks. veyed band members' parents to see The hope, of course, was that the if they wanted their children to par- parade could offer another familiar ticipate again in New York’s Colum- and reassuring ritual. But the reali- bus Day parade, 35 percent said no, ty, as reflected in the rash of no-show fearful of “the debris and the smoke, high school bands, is that some peo- inhaling all that stuff,” said Chad pie are still gripped by concerns Roberts, the band’s co-director. about safety and logistics. Most cancellations have involved “The difference between Sept. 11 schools on Long Island. They include and October is just too close,” said East Meadow High School, Mineola Kevin Bayen, district director of mu- High School, Lawrence High School sic for the Hewlett-Woodmere School and Walt Whitman High School in District on Long Island, which de- Huntington Station. The reasons in- cided against sending its band to eluded safety concerns, timing and New York. travel complications. This year, the parade will feature And while many students, natural-

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NYC-WTC_000230682