The History of the Carmel Marching Band Smiley
As told by Pat Elff, formerMarching Band Vice President
Let’s see if I can stir up my memory from wayyyyyy back, hmmmmm around 1995 (wow ~ is that REALLY 21 years ago…where does the time go?) It was actually many things that just came together so sit back and read.
Wellllll, we did NUMEROUS competitions (mostly invitationals back then)and that particular year we were confronted with EVERY type of awful weather you could think of…the kids even marched in their blue jeans, tennis shoes, band jackets and hats (NO plumes) at the Ben Davis Invitational…the guard girls lost their ballerina shoes in the
muddy quagmire of a football field….any way, through the horrible down pouring rains, the BIG snowfalls etc. when my daughter and a few of her closest band friends looked for my husband, son and me in the stands …they could NOT find us, because of the rain gear or heavy outer wear….AND it seemed as though EVERY other band’s colors were blue and yellow like ours so in this sea of blue and yellow coats, jackets, blankets….., I decided to get out my trusty smiley face friend who was always hanging in my classroom reminding my “lovely” middle schoolers to “put on a happy face” and smile, smile, smile and use its “magical” powers so MY daughter and her best friend and others could see EXACTLY where we were in any audience
A couple of years later when my husband got sick with
cancer… my daughter and her friends in the band would look out into
the audience and would know that “even in the face of ANY adversity”
the ONLY thing to do is ….smile, smile, smile and that he was
there in the stands because he wasn’t able to be out on the field crew any longer….From then on “Smiley” has been a PROUD, SUNNY part of our
Carmel Greyhound family… (AND I still ONLY carry the ORIGINAL
one when I go to Carmel band competitions)
And you know, the band kids always said to me “I know exactly where you and your family are sitting in the stands” and a tradition was born ….so a few phone calls later …and BAM ….Smileys EVERYWHERE!!!!!!!!!
ANY one who looks at them can’t help but smile back……And our kids know where to find the Marching Greyhound faithful…
Just look for the happy smiling face in the stands!
NOW YOU KNOW…