The rain held off enough Oct. 13 to allow Binghamton’s annual Columbus Day Parade, Tournament of the Bands and Italian Festival to take over Main Street.
Five marching bands participated in the tournament— three Broome County high schools: Union-Endicott, Johnson City, Whitney Point and two schools from Pennsylvania: Williamson Marching Warriors from Tioga and Athens Area Schools Marching Wildcats.
Each school was to be judged on music selection, color guard and drum major performances.
Family and friends proudly stood on the sidelines with their phones recording to catch a glimpse of the parade procession and band performances.
Cassandra Seley, 40, of Whitney Point, came out to watch her daughter perform in the Whitney Point color guard.
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Robin Morise, 46, came out to downtown Binghamton with her family from Johnson City to watch her son, who is a saxophone player for the Johnson City Wildcats.
“We braved the cold and the rain to come see him,” Morise said, “as with most of his marching band competitions.”
Dennes Chabez, 90, and his wife Hida, 91, have been attending the parade for the last 64 years. After leaving Costa Rica, the couple spent some time traveling the world before settling in Binghamton, and it’s been home ever since. “When we come to Binghamton….it was a beautiful place, it still is beautiful,” Dennes Chabez said.
Though their children are grown now, watching the parade remains a family tradition for the couple.
Ahead of the event, City of Binghamton Mayor Kraham shared in an Oct. 8 press release how the ongoing tradition continues to bring the community together.
“For more than sixty years, this celebration has brought people together in downtown Binghamton to enjoy live music, Italian food and family-friendly entertainment, including the annual Tournament of Marching Bands,” he said in a statement.
After the parade, the annual Italian festival continued along Water Street until 2 p.m. featuring live music from Rooster and the Roadhouse Horns and food.
Kalyn Grant reports on public service issues for the Press & Sun-Bulletin, focusing on schools and community impact. Have a story to share? Follow her on Instagram @KalynCarmen and on Facebook under Kalyn Kearney. Get in touch atkcgrant@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Binghamton Press & Sun-Bulletin: Binghamton’s Columbus Day Parade, marching bands go on despite rain
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