Grasso Marching Band Festival Is Oct 7

By LAURIE BORST

Published: Sep 29, 2006 12:00 am

On Saturday, October 7, the Joseph P. Grasso Invitational will be held at Trumbull High School for its eleventh annual marching band competition. The Trumbull Golden Eagle Marching Band Parents and Trumbull High School have graciously offered the use of their facilities to the Newtown Nighthawks due to lack of field availability in Newtown.

âWeâre thrilled to have the opportunity to play before our largest crowd ever at a Grasso Festival, thanks to our friends in Trumbull,â said Band Parent President Steve Rosentel.

Eight field bands and color guards will compete before a panel of eight judges according to the rules and standards of the Musical Arts Conference (MAC), a nonprofit coalition of music educators.

The festival features performances by high school bands from Bethel, Danbury, Naugatuck, New Milford, Norwalk, Trumbull, and Ramsey, N.J. Guest bands compete for place and trophies; Newtown, as the host, will perform and be scored as if they were competing, but will their scores will not be included in the competition.

The judges review each bandâs performance in terms of musical and visual effectiveness on a 100-point scale. The NHS Marching Band, reigning Class IV MAC Champions, will present an exhibition performance of their program âParadox,â featuring music from Jekyll & Hyde.

The festival was named in honor of the founder of the band program in the Newtown school district, Joseph Grasso, who taught in Newtown from 1960 until his retirement in 1992. His successors â Jack Zamary, James Dumas and Kurt Eckhardt â continued to grow and develop the Newtown band.

The 2006-07 Marching Nighthawks fields 70 musicians and 17 color guard members, under the direction of Mr Eckhardt, Frank LaBanca and Bob Findley.

âThe Grasso Festival is a chance for marching bands from Connecticut and surrounding states to showcase their creative efforts,â said Mr Eckhardt. âThe kids from every program work hard to put on a show filled with pageantry, energy, and good music,â he continued.

âAlthough complicated circumstances have led us to the unusual situation of doing our âhome showâ at Trumbull High School, we are excited to host such a colorful, dynamic event,â he continued âThe NHS Band members canât wait to showcase their spectacular program, âParadoxâ for the home crowd.â

Â âOne of the highlights of the marching band season is watching the Newtown Nighthawks perform for the home crowd at the annual Grasso Festival,â added Mr LaBanca. âThey strive for excellence enhanced by their positive attitude. Our students are passionate, hardworking, and perform at such a high level. This yearâs show, featuring music from Jekyll and Hyde, surely should not be missed.â

âItâs going to be a fantastic show and I hope the community will travel the short distance to Trumbull to support all of the bands,â said Festival Chairman Bill Webb.

âIt will be an exciting evening of impressive music and brilliant color,â added Vice Chairman Graceann Hanulik.

Trumbull High School is at 72 Strobel Road. From Newtown, take Route 25 to Exit 9 (Daniels Farm Road); turn left off the exit ramp, onto Daniels Farm Road; drive one mile to Strobel Road; turn right onto Strobel, and the high school will be on the right.

The gates at Trumbull High School will open at 5 pm. The cost is $7 for adults and $5 for seniors and students. Food and refreshments will be available.

For more information, contact Bill Webb at 426-8186, or check the MAC website at MusicalArtsConference.com.

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It’s important to clarify the tone and context of Derek Pisani’s remarks, particularly the satirical line about suing Newtown for "Gross Stupidity." This was clearly a tongue-in-cheek jab at the exhausting culture of legal threats that’s become a staple on the local Facebook Group forums. It was a reflection of frustration over endless regulatory hurdles and obstructionism, and the desire to avoid common sense solutions not an insult aimed at residents. Satire, is meant to provoke thought and highlight the absurdities. If we are unable to distinguish between satire and literal threats, perhaps the comment hit closer to the truth than we’d like to admit. Rather than focusing on Pisanis style, we should be discussing the substance of what he’s pointing out: that Newtown’s progress is being routinely blocked by a small but vocal contingent who seem intent on saying “no” at every turn. They are saying no to any development, no to common sense solutions to crowd control, etc. Newtown deserves leaders who are willing to call things as they see them, even if their language ruffles feathers. That doesn’t mean they lack respect for constituents—it means they care enough to challenge the Mob and push for solutions. Isn't that what we elect people to do? I applaud Pisani's dedication, he certainly has earned my vote. Regardless, let’s not reduce conversation to tone-policing and outrage. Let’s focus on the issues that matter.

Who is Calling Newtowners Stupid?

Thank you for pointing out the trail access provisions included in the BOS motion—it’s an important clarification that deserves more attention in this conversation. If the development is, in fact, required to provide permanent free public access and commit to ongoing maintenance of this section of the Rochambeau Trail, that is a remarkably beneficial outcome for the town. oIt’s not every day that a private project shoulders the long-term burden of preserving and caring for a public historical corridor at no taxpayer cost—especially one that previously had no formal access, upkeep, or visibility. Let’s be honest: the idea that the only way to protect history is by preventing any development nearby is a rigid and unworkable standard. What’s being proposed here appears to strike a rare balance—historic preservation, public access, and smart development all rolled into one. That’s not a loss its a win. So rather than allowing a handful of voices to derail progress under the banner of “historic purity,” maybe it’s time to acknowledge the reality: this trail is better off with structured stewardship and visibility than remaining an overgrown ghost on old maps. Let’s move forward. Bring in the easement, bring in the public access—and yes, bring in the bulldozers!!! Progress and preservation can coexist. Let’s not let the NIMBY use fear or nostalgia keep us stuck in the past.

Discusses Rochambeau Trail And 6 Commerce Road

I've heard that several people are under the impression that the public might be banned from the Rochambeau Trail. Points 2 and 3 from the BOS motion (included in full below) make it clear that public access to the trail is part of the requirements for the developer. From what I understand, it requires free public access to the trail in perpetuity. Technically, this could be argued to be a "payment-in-kind," that attempts to balance public good with overall town growth. We can argue about weather that balance is acceptable and how the trail may be affected, but with the understanding that the trail is expected to be maintained as a publicly accessible trail regardless. July 15, 2024 Board of Selectmen approved motion: Discontinuance of Reservoir Road: Selectman Cruson moved the resolution: Resolved, that the Newtown Board of Selectmen, in accordance with Section 2-115(d)(8) of the Town Charter and Conn. Gen. Stat. §13a-49, and subject to the conditions set forth below, hereby discontinues an unimproved portion of Reservoir Road described as “Portion of Reservoir Road to be Discontinued “on that certain survey map which will be recorded on the Newtown Land Records titled “Map Showing Portion of Reservoir Road to be Discontinued” dated August, 2023 and revised September 15, 2023, and certified substantially correct by Gregory Szyszowski of SLR (the “Survey Map”), said discontinuance contingent and effective only upon the completion of the following: 1. The approval of an application for the development of land in the manner described in a letter from Attorney Thomas W. Beecher to First Selectman A. Jeffrey Capeci and Members of the Board of Selectmen dated May 30, 2024, pursuant to the “Residential Open Space Development” regulations of the Borough of Newtown by the Borough of Newtown Zoning Commission, and construction of that approval project within the timeframes required for special exception approval; 2. The inclusion of the discontinued portion of the road as part of the final Declaration of Conservation Restriction; 3. The conveyance of a mutually agreeable public easement to the Town of Newtown for pedestrian, bicycling, equestrian, and all other passive recreational uses (to exclude the use of motorized vehicles except as may be necessary by the Town or its designee to effectuate the purpose of the easement), and for municipal utility purposes; Be it further resolved, that Castle Hill Real Estate Holdings, LLC., its successors and assigns, shall not use any portion of the discontinued road as a vehicular road or access way to and from any developed portions of the property. Be it further finally resolved, that should any of the foregoing contingencies not occur, then the discontinuance contemplated herein shall not become effective and this resolution will become null and void. From: https://www.newtown-ct.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif12216/f/minutes/bos_7-15-24_min-_att_final.pdf

Is this paper road (roads that only exist on paper map but not in reality) even owned by the Town? Many roads that predate the Town's road standards are privately owned and were never accepted by the Town, such as many of the nonconforming roads around the lake communities where the property owners own right to the center line. That is something we had to deal with when working on the Roads Ordinance a few years back. We also had to deal with a private road to run the utilities to the new SHS.

For anyone who wants to know, I cant post a link here, but Housatonic Resources Recovery Authority has an entire website. Look up "HRRA whats in whats out"

I Get It!

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Grasso Marching Band Festival Is Oct 7

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