Chenango County, New York Pageant of Bands Celebrates 75 Years
Sherburne-Earlville High School hosts the oldest band pageant in New York state, attracting tens of thousands of visitors on the first weekend of June each year.
Jazz, small-ensemble, and concert performances are held on the Sherburne-Earlville Central School District campus, just a few blocks from Main Street in this Central New York village of fewer than 1,400 residents. The event culminates with a parade featuring dozens of marching bands through downtown Sherburne and an Awards Ceremony at the stadium on the final day of competition.
Sponsored by the Sherburne Fire Department, the Sherburne Pageant of Bands is free and open to the public, with parking and concessions available near the high school.
After a two-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Chenango County village celebrated its 73rd Pageant of Bands in 2022. The Sherburne Pageant of Bands began in 1949 as the Sherburne Band Festival, with Sherburne High School hosting Earlville, Gilbertsville, Greene, Hamilton, New Berlin, Norwich, Oxford, and West Winfield. Norwich won first place in both the parade and the concert-band contest at the inaugural event.
The pageant was founded by local business owner Albert Whitney and former Sherburne music teacher Frank L. Miller, both of whom were inducted into the Sherburne-Earlville Central School District's Wall of Fame in 2010.
For more photos, information, and videos about the Sherburne Pageant of Bands, visit SECSD's Facebook page.