Follies 2007

The curtain opened on Follies 2007 on March 29, 2007 to a sold-out East Fairmont High School Auditorium. This marked the 35th Annual Production of spring tradition . The show started with the band playing the opening fanfare from "That's Entertainment" followed by "Cabaret." The Honeybees were then featured during "Disco Gold Medley," "Who Loves You" - from the Jersey Boys - and "Flashdance." The Opening Overture ended with a reprise of "That's Entertainment."

Honeybees featured during "Disco Gold" in the Follies 2007 Opening

The group then performed a tribute to the music of Barbra Streisand by performing "Starting Here, Starting Now." The band then performed the Music from the Movies, which featured highlights from "The Patriot," "The Pink Panther" and "Pirates of the Caribbean." During "The Patriot," violin soloist Meredith Pheasant was showcased. "The Pink Panther" was performed by a saxophone quartet composed of Sasha Six, David Carpenter, Daryl Gray and Terry Rogers. The band then paid tribute to the music of Count Basie by performing "All Of Me" and "Corner Pocket" before highlighting the Honeybees and the Busy Bee Band Percussion during Louis Prima's "Sing, Sing, Sing."

The Busy Bee Band Percussion with the Honeybees during Sing, Sing, Sing

One of the band's favorite composers, James Swearingen, is currently the department chair of music education at Capital University in Columbus, Ohio, and also serves as a staff arranger for the famed Ohio State University Marching Band. The band paid tribute to the work of James Swearingen by performing "Brookpark Overture."

The voice of Franklin Roosevelt's 1941 State of the Union Address resonated through the auditorium next as the group performed "Amber Waves of Grain." While the band played, paintings by Norman Rockwell that were inspired by the 1941 speech, known as the "Four Freedoms," were displayed to the audience. The first half of Follies 2007 concluded with the traditional Honeybee Kickline to "All That Jazz," from "Chicago," followed by "Can't Take My Eyes Off Of You" from "Jersey Boys," followed by the classic "You Make Me Feel So Young."

The curtain reopened to the sounds of the Sharks and Jets as the Busy Bee Band celebrated the 50th Anniversary of the music of West Side Story. Featuring music by Leonard Bernstein and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, its Broadway premier won just two Tony Awards. A 1961 film version starring Natalie Wood was an enormous hit, and took home 10 Academy Awards. Selections presented included "I Feel Pretty," "Maria," "Something's Coming," "Tonight," "One Hand, One Heart," "Cool" and "America." During "Cool," members of the Busy Bee Band were featured. The gang consisted of Eric Allen, Chris Carpenter, Chris Jurick, Ryan Nuzum, Ben Rush and Neil Wallace.

The group then performed the music from Entertainment Tonight, one of the most popular and longest running entertainment and news programs in television history. Next was a concert piece by David Shaffer entitled "Canadian Sketches." The seniors of the Busy Bee Band & Honeybees were acknowledged during the playing of "Broadway Razzle Dazzle." Seniors of the Busy Bee Band & Honeybees are Eric Allen, David Bohon, Chris Carpenter, Jenna Chickerell, Rebecca DeWitt, Mindee Doney, Amber Eakin, Allison Fleming, Amanda Floyd, Daryl Gray, Chris Jurick, Meghan Kinty, Michelle Kisner, Andrea Loss, David Macaulay, Amy Meluzio, Kaylin Mick, Ryan Nuzum, Terry Rogers, Ben Rush, Taylor Samuelson, Samantha Sconish, Melissa Shreve, Kourtni Six, Sasha Six, Rachel Stemple, Bojo Talerico, Kayla Tossone, Neil Wallace, Jordan Weisenborn and Lauren Yett.

Busy Bee Band Percussion featured during "Overture to the '90s."

From Rockefeller Center in New York this past May, to last fall's field show performances, the Busy Bee Band & Honeybees have performed for thousands of spectators including the 2006 Pittsburgh Columbus Day Parade (winning First Place Awards for Best Band and Best Drum Major) and Band Spectaculars at Thomas Jefferson High School, Morgantown and Fairmont. The band presented highlights from those recent performances by performing "Swingin' Chariots," "Overture to the '90s" - which included a feature by the Busy Bee Band Percussion Section - and "Free Ride" - which featured the Honeybees.

Follies 2007 then closed with "That's Entertainment " and the traditional presentation of the "Busy Bee Band Bouquet" by Queen Bee Meghan Kinty.