Turkeyfoot’s Gabe Barlow Marches in the Ken Lantzy All-Star Band
Gabe Barlow becomes the first Turkeyfoot Valley student selected for the Ken Lantzy All-Star Marching Band, learning a full show in two days for the June 12 classic in Johnstown.
Gabe Barlow made a little history last weekend. He became the first Turkeyfoot Valley student ever selected for the Ken Lantzy All-Star Marching Band, the honor ensemble that performs at the annual Ken Lantzy All-Star Classic in Johnstown.
The classic is a football game for graduated seniors, played this year on Friday, June 12, at Greater Johnstown High School’s Trojan Stadium. Since 2017 the game has carried a marching band to match, built from students nominated by their band directors at schools across the region. Getting picked is an honor on its own.
Then comes the hard part. The band learns an entire marching show in two days and performs it at the game. Two days. Anyone who has tried to memorize drill and music at the same time knows that is no small feat.
Barlow handled his part on saxophone, and from the look of things, he enjoyed every minute of it.
Congratulations to Gabe, to the Turkeyfoot Valley music department that helped get him there, and to the whole Turkeyfoot Valley community. A small school sending its first student to a regional all-star band is worth a moment of pride. Here is hoping he is the first of many.
