Following a regional Punt Pass and Kick Competition that
resulted in a young aspiring football player winning $5,000, the
Goldenaires readied for their long anticipated performance.
The Corps marched on to the field at the fifty yard line playing
“God Bless America”. As usual they were great. The nippy weather
at Lambeau failed to affect their playing and by the time the
musicians finished their first song they had endeared themselves
to the Packer faithful.
Limited to a six minute performance the group played abbreviated
versions of songs that were in keeping with the Packer’s “Throw
Back Day” theme. Their performance included “In the Mood” ,
“Dancing in the streets”, “Wipeout” and “Beer Barrel Polka.”
The performance went great and the fans loved it. The
Goldenaires received a fantastic ovation from the crowd.
Following their appearance on the field, the Corps moved inside
to an area reserved for them to have a lunch that was provided
by the great Green Bay Packer organization.
During the lunch break I spoke to Rich Brown, and Dan Pitrone.
Rich said “The guys did an outstanding job and they sounded
fantastic. They were pumped up, they will never forget it, I
know I won’t.”
Dan Pitrone, music director said “The Corps was just fantastic.
They rallied when they had to. It wasn’t easy. It was cold and
they had to play a little harder and they did a fine job.”
Following lunch, the group toured the stadium, stopping
frequently to entertain the fans. The onlookers really enjoyed
the music and undoubtedly went home Goldenaire fans.
The trip to Lambeau came about due to the efforts of Bob
McDermott, a former member of the Goldenaires. McDermott and his
wife Chris live in Green Bay. Chris’ father, Sars Fiori was an
original member of the Goldenaires.
Mc Dermott is familiar with people in the Packer organization
has had been plugging the Corps. for some time. He ultimately
sent DVD’s to Kandi Goltz, the Packer’s Game and Fan Development
Manager.
In preparing for this adventure, Kandi told me that “They are
very excited to perform and I think our fans will enjoy the
show! They have a very energetic show planned and I believe it
will be a lot of fun.”
It was indeed all of the above.
Following the lunch break, the Goldenaire’s marched through the
stadium, stopping several times to play and entertain the Packer
Fans. Again and again fans gathered to hear the group perform.
It was great day for the Pack and their fans as they defeated
the 49ers 34-16. It was a great day for the Goldenaires who made
75,000 new fans. It was a great day for the IronwoodInfo
reporting team that once again was able to cover the great
Goldenaires, and it was nice to go south to Green Bay to warm up
a bit.
IronwoodInfo.com is a Michigan,
Non-Profit Media Corporation
