Purdue band director's era comes to an end at Indianapolis 500
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Marching in the footsteps of 87 years of band students preceding them, members of the Purdue "All-American" Marching Band will again take center stage on May 28 at the Indianapolis 500 when they play for the race's opening ceremonies.The band, which makes its final appearance under the leadership of retiring director David Leppla, also will participate in the Indianapolis 500 Festival Parade in downtown Indianapolis on May 27.
To celebrate Leppla's retirement, track officials hope to take Leppla on a spin around the oval in an official 500 pace car. Recently they offered him the opportunity to circle the track in a special two-seater Indy race car, but Leppla was too tall to fit. The day wasn't a total loss, however, as Leppla got the chance to suit up, have his picture taken with Al Unser Sr. and chat with the legendary driver.
The public's first glimpse of the Purdue "All-American" Marching Band comes at Indianapolis 500 Festival Parade themed "Celebrate the Spectacle" this year to honor the history and tradition tied to the race. The parade starts at noon on May 27 and will be made up of 75 units including celebrities, costumed characters including Jimmy Neutron, the Wild Thornberrys, Scooby Doo and others — plus marching bands, specialty units, floats and giant helium balloons.
The 33 starting drivers of the Indianapolis 500 will serve as honorary grand marshals for the parade, riding atop official Indy 500 Chevrolets and Corvettes in the traditional rows of three, with the 2006 winner of the pole position bringing up the rear.
A crowd in excess of 300,000 is expected for the parade. There are stretches of the parade route that permit open viewing, but tickets can be purchased for bleacher seating, reserved chairs or VIP spots in the television zone lining the route. Tickets range from $13.50 to $27.50 and can be purchased by calling Ticketmaster at (317) 239-5151.
The Indianapolis 500 Festival Parade also will be shown on ESPN2 from 6-7:30 p.m. EDT and locally on WISH TV 8 from 8-10 p.m.
The 500 Festival Parade was added to the race month activities in 1957 and the Purdue "All-American" Marching Band has appeared in every parade since its creation.
It was the marching band's first director, Paul Spotts Emrick, who forged the initial relationship with the Indianapolis 500 in 1919, and the band has played for the opening ceremonies at the track every running of the 500 since that time.
Each year Purdue invites bands across the Midwest to participate in a separate parade of bands thst occurs at the Indianapolis 500 racetrack on the day of the race. In 2006, there are 24 high school bands from eight states participating, with bands coming from as far away as Florida and New York. The Pride of Tri-County Marching Cavaliers from Tri-County High School in Wolcott is representing the Greater Lafayette area.
Other Indiana bands come from Elkhart Memorial High School in Elkhart, Elmhurst High School in Fort Wayne, Jennings County High School in North Vernon, John Glen High School in Walkerton, North Knox High School in Bicknell, Rochester High School in Rochester, Scecina Memorial High School in Indianapolis, South Dearborn High School in Aurora, Speedway High School in Speedway, Taylor High School in Kokomo and Wes-Del High School in Gaston.
Writer: Kathy Matter, Purdue Bands public relations director, (765) 496-6785, kcmatter@purdue.edu
Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu
Related Web site:Purdue University Bands
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