UW band to play in Francis Creek

FRANCIS CREEK — They’ve played in college football stadiums around the country, marched in the Tournament of Roses Parade, and tens of thousands of people regularly remain at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison for their post-game “Fifth Quarter.”
Now members of the University of Wisconsin Marching Band are coming to Francis Creek to march in the village’s French Creek Days parade, which starts at noon Sunday.
It’s something parade chairman Pat Zigmunt has been wanting for years.
“That was my mission,” he said. - College Football -
Zigmunt, who has organized the French Creek Days parade for 30-some years, said he had tried to get the UW Marching Band to Francis Creek but without success.
Then a friend put him in touch with Clare Schmitt, a 2003 Roncalli High School graduate who plays trombone in the band.
“The first time I met her I knew she was interested in helping,” Zigmunt said.
Schmitt contacted band manager Ericka Binkley, a trumpet player from Monroe who is in charge of scheduling the band’s non-regular appearances.
Binkley said the band is scheduled on a first come, first served basis, and July 10 wasn’t taken yet, so she reserved it for Francis Creek. - College Football -
Such performances are not required of band members, according to Binkley. When enough musicians have signed up — with the right mix of instruments — she confirms the band’s appearance.
Between 30 and 40 band members are expected for French Creek Days, she said.
The cost for bringing the band here is $65 per band member, which the students receive, plus an additional $200, according to Binkley. If 35 musicians participate, the cost would be $2,475. The musicians also will receive a free lunch at the park. - College Football -
“We are having the Fifth Quarter at the park, too,” Zigmunt said.
Fifth Quarter is the band’s unique post-game show that began drawing attention in the 1970s. According to the Web site http://badgerband.com, it was about 1978 when the press dubbed the show the “Fifth Quarter.”
The festive Fifth Quarter has become known for its audience involvement and the band members’ zany antics. It’s when the band does “all the fun, crazy songs,” Binkley said, like “The Chicken Dance.”
She said the French Creek Days version of Fifth Quarter will last 20 to 25 minutes.
“We do stuff that nobody else really does as far as crowd entertainment and participation,” Schmitt said. - College Football -
“We like to put on a good show,” said Heather Vogel, a 2003 Roncalli High School graduate who plays trumpet with the UW Marching Band. She said band members have fun getting the audience involved during the Fifth Quarter.
Vogel said she has performed with the band in Sheboygan and Green Bay, but this is the first time she’ll be coming home to Manitowoc County for a show.
It will be great to play for her family, friends and co-workers from the Manitowoc Parks and Recreation Department who haven’t had a chance to see the band, she said.
The UW Marching Band keeps busy in the summer, doing three or four parades per month as well as other events like wedding receptions, corporate meetings and birthday parties, according to Binkley. - College Football -
Zigmunt said he’s heard how good the band is, and he thought it would be “just something different for our village.”

Cindy Hodgson