TRUMBULL — The Newtown High School Marching Band & Guard increased its previous Musical Arts Conference (MAC) competition score by eight points to take second place at the Trumbull Classic, held on Saturday, September 27, at Trumbull High School.

In what many consider the first “real” competition of the season, performed outdoors on school’s football field under clear skies, Newtown gained ground on rival Norwalk High School and is now just four points behind the defending National Open Class champions.

Drill instructor Bob Findley was pleased with Newtown’s performance of this year’s show, “Arachne.” 

“Good job at Trumbull,” Mr Findley told his 123 musicians and 25 color guard members. He later encouraged them further, telling them to “keep working hard. It’s the only way to get even better. There is still so much more we want to achieve.”

Mr Findley and Band Director Kurt Eckhardt have promised more visual and musical surprises from Newtown to come during the season. 

“The potential of this show is enormous. We want to especially thrill our fans at Home Show and be as fantastic as I know we can be,” Mr Eckhardt said.

Newtown’s next competition will take place on Saturday, October 11, when the team will compete in the USBands show at Cheshire High School. Newtown is expected to face strong competition from Arlington and Southington High Schools. Taking this weekend off from competition in deference to Yom Kippur, Newtown will be eager to improve their scores even further, Mr Eckhardt said.

This year’s home show — The 18th Annual Joseph P. Grasso Festival — is scheduled for Saturday, October 18. The event will be held at the Blue & Gold Stadium at Newtown High School, and will run from 5 to 9 pm.

Tickets will be $10 for adults, and $7 for students and seniors. Children ages 5 and under will be admitted free of charge.