South Fayette’s Little Green Machine band event unites old and young
Among the younger and the older generations, nearly 20 former marching band alumni attended the event.
Ryan Wolf, president and co-founder of the South Fayette Band Alumni Association, speaking at the event.
Marching band memorabilia was out for residents to see at the event.
The Little Green Machine is celebrating its 70th anniversary this year, and alumni say the marching band’s popularity breaks the age barrier.
At an Aug. 8 reunion at to celebrate the band, more than 50 residents attended, many of whom were members of the band when they attended South Fayette High School. Some were a part of the band in the 1950s, while others were recent graduates or still in high school.
Marsha McFalls, president and founder of the South Fayette Majorette Alumni Association, said many of the older alumni were telling their stories and the younger alumni were surprised at the similarities they had.
“The interaction with the residents was one of the highlights of the evening, hearing the stories and seeing the similarities,” McFalls said.
McFalls talked about the history of the majorettes and the different uniforms throughout the years.
“There were 11 different uniforms since 1948, and I had a little more than half of the uniforms,” McFalls said. “It was pretty interesting as I researched how some things have stayed the same and some things have changed throughout the decades.”
Along with McFalls as a presenter was Ryan Wolf, who is the president and co-founder of the South Fayette Band Alumni Association. He spoke mostly about the history of the band, including the different band directors and their influence.
Both presenters showed the audience a gallery of photos from past marching bands. Andrea Iglar, the township’s community development director, said the audience enjoyed the opportunity to “reminisce.”
“When they would see a picture of someone they knew or an older picture they got really into it,” she said. “There was a lot of interaction. A lot of the audience chimed in with their stories and their own recollections.”
The event was the final installment of the township’s 175th Anniversary Historical Series, which has been in partnership with the South Fayette Historical Society.
The celebration kicked off with a birthday bash on March 16 – exactly 175 years after the township was chartered. In June, the township hosted a historical series event for Boys Home, a shelter and school near Oakdale from 1904-72. Then, in July, the series hosted an event to commemorate the history of the four fire departments in South Fayette.
The band’s history led to Iglar choosing it as an event topic.
“We knew there was a lot of interest in the band and that it goes back a long ways,” she said. “There were a lot of people who were interested and who came.”
Despite the summer historical series ending, Iglar said she has received interest from community members to continue having periodic history events.
“To help further that mission of the historical society and to help keep history alive, we would like to continue to have the events,” she said. “And also there is a lot of interest in township history and help people come together and reminisce and talk about their history. People just like mingling and talking to each other and about their memories. It’s not just sitting and listening to the speakers, but it gives people a chance to talk to each other and maybe talk to people they haven’t seen in a long time.”
Iglar’s favorite part of the event was seeing the older alumni interact with the younger alumni, and even the current South Fayette students.
“People who remember it from the ’50s, ’60s, ’70s have something in common with the young folks,” Iglar said. “These older alumni do have something in common with the younger residents, and that’s a nice connection to make across generations.