Mt. Olive Hosts Band Competition As Largest Fundraiser

On Sat., Oct. 24, 14 high school bands from Morris, Sussex, Essex, and Warren Counties will be in attendance to compete in the 31st Annual Mt. Olive High School Marching Band Home Competition.

The competition will take place at the Mt. Olive High School in Flanders.   Gates open at 3:30 p.m. with the competition running from 4:30 pm to 10:30 p.m.

General admission is $12 and $8 for students and seniors; children under five are free.

Free limited parking available at the high school or free shuttle service offered from the Mt. Olive Middle School.

The 14 competing bands include Columbia, Dover, Hackensack, High Point, Kittatinny, Mendham, Morristown, Morris Hills, Nutley, Randolph, Roxbury, West Milford, West Orange, and Warren Hills.

Performing at approximately 7 p.m. will be the Award Winning New York Skyliners Alumni Drum and Bugle Corps under the direction of Dr. Richard Evans.  Their 2015 show includes such unmistakable arrangements as “Slaughter on 10th Avenue”, “Lullaby of Birdland”, “Alabama Jubilee”, the concert piece is the ever popular “Elk’s Parade”, and a medley of “Give my Regards to Broadway”, “Traffic Jam” and “Little Old NY”, and finally SKY’s legendary “Signature.”

Under the Direction of John DiEgidio and Asst. Director Darrell Hendricks, the Mt. Olive High School Marching Band will perform in Exhibition at the end of the competition with their 2015 show “Opulence” featuring Russian Easter Overture, Scheherazade, Trepak, and Borodin’s Symphony #2.

The Mt. Olive High School Marching Band was one of five high school marching bands featured in 2014’s Super Bowl Halftime Show with Bruno Mars.

Hosted by the Mt. Olive Band Boosters Association, this is the band’s largest fundraiser of the year.  Proceeds from the event benefit all Mt. Olive High School band programs including jazz ensemble, big band, wind ensemble and winter guard as well as the marching band. Funding from the event has allowed Mt. Olive bands to sponsor visiting artists, purchase new equipment and award scholarships up to $5,000.