Sugarcreek’s sound of music honors nation’s 250th

The sound of music emanated throughout Garaway High School recently during Sugarcreek’s celebration of the nation’s 250th anniversary. On March 9 Garaway High School and the village of Sugarcreek celebrated “An America 250 Celebration,” and the evening of music brought a nice crowd to the high school gymnasium, where they were treated to a variety of talents built around the Garaway Music Department.

Featured performances included the Garaway High School band, Garaway Middle School band, Garaway Jazz Band and a special performance from Alphorns Gruzie, a quintet of alphorn players from Columbus who brought a piece of Switzerland into the evening.

The evening was directed by GHS Music Director Aaron Morris, with assistance from Jayvin Herbert, a student teacher currently attending Malone University. In addition, Elliana Compton served as the announcer, where she introduced the historical importance of each performance.

The evening started and ended thanks to the effort of the members of American Legion Post 494.

“We are honored to be a part of the celebration,” said Debbie Mullins, Post 494 second in command. "For this community to host something like this is amazing because it takes a lot of time and effort to do. We were excited to come and present the colors and represent each of the branches of service we represent. These moments are priceless because we can honor those who served and are still serving our country.”

The event began when Becky Detwiler, curator of Alpine Hills Museum, wanted to bring Alphorns Gruzie into the area to play but knew she couldn’t do it in the museum. Museum board member Onley Heath suggested having them play with the high school band, and with the nation’s 250th anniversary at hand, the idea was hatched.

“I presented it to Aaron, and our visitors bureaus have been having discussions about how to celebrate the nation’s 250th anniversary,” Detwiler said. “There was grant money available, and I wrote a grant, and that’s how this all came about.”

While the performances from the high school centered around patriotic numbers honoring America’s history, the Alphorns Gruzie centered their music around traditional Swiss numbers.

The Alphorns Gruzie quintet consisted of Dr. Angela Buckley, Mitch McCrady, Dr. Tiffany Damicone, Kent Alan and Colin Callingo, the youngest member of the group who is still in high school.

“We have excellent professionals with us who have been playing a long time,” Buckley said. “We travel mostly in Ohio and enjoy showcasing the sounds of a fairly unique instrument that people don’t often hear.”

Buckley is so invested in the instrument she has started every single alphorn group in Ohio.

The tie-in to Sugarcreek’s heritage brought a perfect sound to the celebration.

Callingo said he was eager to pick up this talent after visiting Sugarcreek and experiencing the Alpine Hills Museum, where he was allowed to squeeze out a note on the alphorn there. He immediately knew he was hooked.

“It’s an honor for me to be associated with professionals like this,” he said. “This never gets old, and I’m learning and growing so much every time we play.”

Now in his ninth year leading the GHS musicians, Morris said they started practicing their patriotic songs in December and continued to prepare for this special event.

“We were excited to be featured at such a meaningful event, and the alphorns added such a beautiful addition to the show,” Morris said. “I think our students appreciated hearing them play because it is part of our heritage here and it is such a unique instrument. They sounded absolutely wonderful.”

Morris said having his students play in performances like this is always special and creates plenty of good memories for all the students.

“There’s a special energy around this one because it is our nation’s 250th,” Morris said. “We’ve got great kids who worked really hard in preparing for this special moment.”

Herbert said participating in this event inspired him to continue to teach and direct after graduating this spring.

It appears everyone who listened to or participated in the event was blessed by the music and the atmosphere.

“It was a beautiful evening filled with music and tradition honoring both our nation and our Swiss heritage here in Sugarcreek,” Detwiler said.