MIFFLINTOWN – Brad Eargle, director of the Juniata County Marching Band, predicts no alien invasion at Dietrick Field this year.

But the Juniata County Marching Band’s field show this fall – called “To infinity and beyond” – with its extraterrestrial flair will surely make fans look to the stars.

“This year’s show is based on a series of space-related pieces,” said Eargle, who is co-directing the marching band this year with Megan Russell, East Juniata High School’s new music director. Eargle is the longtime music director at Juniata High School.

“We begin with Strauss’ ‘Also sprach Zarathustra’, which most people know as the theme song from ‘2001: A Space Odyssey’,” added Eargle. “We also do music from ‘Star Trek’ and ‘Star Wars’ as well as the Blue Swede hit ‘Hooked on a Feeling’ as a nod to ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’.”

Photo courtesy of JUNIATA COUNTY MARCHING BAND
Juniata County Marching Band majorette Addison Rutherford (left) performs as drum major Kennedy Seiger-Lewis conducts the band.

Eargle said the marching band tries to vary the themes of its shows, so members play many different types of music during their time in the group. Last year, the band played Broadway tunes and the year before was largely pop-oriented, so Eargle tried to use sources from film and television when putting together this year’s show.

There are 69 students involved in the band, including drum majors Fiorella Berbergi (senior year) and Kennedy Seigler-Lewis (third year), a number slightly lower than normal.

Back to Berbergi and Seigler-Lewis, who are experiencing their first season as drum major. “They have settled into their roles well,” said Eargle. “They are great examples of the attitude and dedication we expect from our band members, and they work well together on the field to make the band function as a unit.”

The band members undergo strenuous rehearsals during the summer months to prepare for the upcoming season.

“The students have worked really hard over the summer to prepare for the show and are ready to do a great job,” Eargle explained. “There is some difficult music, especially in “star Wars” And “Star Trek,” so we were able to really get the kids to grow musically over the summer to meet those challenges.

Photo courtesy of JUNIATA COUNTY MARCHING BAND
Members of the 2024 Juniata County Marching Band include: front row (from left): Miley Gifford, Miley Hack, Savannah Marshall, Fiorella Berbergi, Kennedy Seigler-Lewis, Brooklyn Ehrenzeller, Addison Rutherford and Calla Mianulli; second row: Elliat Brown, Shylynn Hile, Kayla Gelnett, Bethany Walton, Jacee Price, Allison Burdge, Kate Nace; third row: Brooklyn Herrold, Marissa Erhard, Carolyn Heidenreich, Chloe Whisler, Hannah Ehrisman, Lillian Allen, Jessica Maben and Natalee Wolfe; fourth row: Kayanna Kristula, Mariska Whitesel, Lily Poorman, Selena Mayall-Marker, Kaelyn Walter, Blaine Imes and Asher Wriglesworth; fifth row: Carolyn Dressler, Josh Swartz, Evan Hubely, Teagan Trout, Wyatt Stroup, Jake Foltz, Hayden Cook, Chloe Swartz, Sage Kauffman and Melanie Lane; sixth row: Riley Apple, Grace Wagner, Yaa Serwaa, Josh Martin, David Mayall-Marker, Darin Kint, Luke Erhard, Ashlyn Fisher and Jessica Bomberger; seventh row: Alivia Auker, Miles Graff, Damon Batt, Declan Burger, John Randolph and Hope Miller; and back row: Mariah Scott, Madison Copeland, Grace Beward, Kaitlyn Fornwalt and Julia Martin.

“At the start of the season, it is always exciting to see how music and images come together to create a show that people enjoy,” he added. “The students have set themselves quite ambitious goals for this year’s show in terms of fundamentals and stage presence and I think this will make for a really fulfilling season for them.”

The marching band opened its season at band camp, which was held in late July and early August before the fall sports teams held their practices. This way, the fall sports athletes could play sports and participate in marching band without conflict.

“Apart from the usual heat and humidity, the camp went really well,” said Eargle. “We did most of the show practice in the first week and then refined the music and some of the more difficult sets in the second week.”

He added that band camp is used not only to learn drill and music, but also for team and culture building. During these two weeks, marching band members really come together as a group to prepare for the upcoming season.

The Juniata County Marching Band performs before home games and takes the field at halftime at away games.

Photo courtesy of JUNIATA COUNTY MARCHING BAND
Melanie Lane, a member of the Color Guard, carries a silk flag during a field demonstration.

Photo courtesy of JUNIATA COUNTY MARCHING BAND
Majorette Addison Rutherford of the Juniata County Marching Band poses during a performance.

Photo courtesy of JUNIATA COUNTY MARCHING BAND
Majorettes Selena Fultz (left) and Miley Hack (center) twirl their batons while drum major Fiorella Berbergi conducts the band.

Photo courtesy of JUNIATA COUNTY MARCHING BAND
The Juniata County Marching Band performs during a football game in Selinsgrove on August 23.