America’s Bicentennial Halloween was a real treat for the Sachem High School Band. On October 31, 1976, the band, under the direction of Mr. Ed Fell, was invited to play for President Gerald Ford during a campaign visit to Suffolk County.
Placed right beside the podium at the former Colony Hill, the band got an up close look at the country’s Chief Executive. The trick unfortunately was that two days later President Ford would lose his bid to stay in the White House to Jimmy Carter.
The defeat ended the career of the only man to serve as Vice President and President without ever having been elected to either office.
“Since the band was set up next to the President’s platform, we played most of the music, including his school victory song,” said Tom Prestia. “The President was very pleased with our band and in fact waved and acknowledged it as I took his picture. He also came over and shook hands with a number of the band members as he was leaving. As for the members of the marching band, Halloween of 1976 will never be forgotten.”
-Words from Sachem’s 1977 Yearbook