Newtown High School Marching Band & Guard Marks 20th Annual Grasso Festival

The Newtown Nighthawks Marching Band & Guard will host the 20th annual Joseph P. Grasso Marching Band Festival Saturday, October 8 at the high school’s Blue & Gold Stadium. Gates open at 5pm and the show begins at 6.

The NHS “Home Show” will feature seven Connecticut high school marching bands vying for top scores in the USBands competition. The Nighthawks will perform an exhibition of their award-winning show “Something Wicked This Way Comes—Dark’s Pandemonium Carnival.”

Tickets are $10 for adults, $5 for students and seniors, and admission is free for children under 5 years old. The event is the largest fundraiser for the NHS Marching Band & Guard program.

A deluxe Snack Shack menu featuring perennial favorites chili in a bread bowl and pulled pork sandwiches will be served, and vegetarian and gluten-free items will be available. A variety of bake sale treats will also be offered.

A ceremony honoring the Nighthawks’ 27 graduating seniors will follow the competition. The Band & Guard seniors are Chaeli Allen, tenor saxophone; Conor Brennan, drumline; Lizzy Calabrese, color guard; Elizabeth Chamiec-Case, clarinet; Savannah Davidow, drum major; Cameo Delia, flute; Haley Dickinson, drum major; Quinlan Hart, trumpet; Alex Kimble, drumline; Jordan Klein, trumpet; Maggie Koekkoek, pit; Evan Kohlsaat, trombone; Matt Kugler, drum major; Zoe Lloyd, alto saxophone; Clare McKinley, color guard captain; Katherine Mickewich, flute; Jillian Milano, woodwind captain, alto saxophone; Cameron Mitchell, brass captain, trumpet; Kate Moyle, tenor saxophone; Brandon Pavlicek, pit; Isobel Russo, pit; Emma Sheridan, clarinet; Thomas Stanczyk, tenor saxophone; Dennis Timmons, drumline; Adam Wielebinski, tuba; Jake Wilson, mellophone; Bradley Wiseman, baritone saxophone.