Dundee Scots

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Did you march with the Dundee Scots?

Dundee Scots Marching Band

This was the name of Dundee Community High School’s marching band. It is a former, and a founding, member of Mid-America Competing Band Directors Association. Their purpose is to run a summer high school marching band competition circuit.

This band was different. They were a military style band with a drum and bugle corps style precision and discipline. They performed at home football games at Spain Field until the late 1970’s. Then they moved to a newly built football field that was located in a field between the high school and Parkview Elementary building. Even when Spain Field was used, the band practiced near the high school (in the area that became the “new” football field). In the warmer weather, the band would practice outside on nice days. Those that lived nearby could hear them play from their homes. Some neighbors would watch/listen to them from the sidelines. If they practiced inside; they could still be heard by the neighbors. During football games, whether at Spain Field or the high school stadium, the band could be heard.

Under (Thomas) Doyle Heffron, the band gained notoriety. Part of this was due in part to Mr. Heffron running a tight ship. Also, he wanted a certain sound. This is evidenced through his rule. Plain and simple, no females could be bagpipers. Females, he felt, did not produce the same sound as males (different lung capacity). He wanted uniformity. In the mid-70’s, the Scots won almost every competition they entered.

If they won, there would be a “parade” to welcome them home. The local fire and police department vehicles would wait at the edge of town where the band would enter from. Then the officials would lead them through town to the high school, via Maple Avenue. At the high school, there would be hundreds of people waiting to great them.

Scots started in 1967. They immediately won honors in Midwest competitions. In its second season, the Scots grabbed 11 trophies. Noteworthy performances included playing for Richard Nixon’s inauguration in 1972. One of their first successes was beating out 49 other states to win a spot in the VFW parade in St. Louis, Missouri in 1970. They even played in the Macy’s Thanksgiving parade. They welcomed Santa to the festivities. They even hosted and participated in their own competition called the Tattoo.

The Scots furthered that success by winning the Governor’s Trophy at the National Cherry Festival in 1969, 1970, and 1971, prompting representatives of the Cherry Festival to travel to Dundee’s Spain Field and award the trophy as a permanent prize to the Dundee Scots. Mr. Heffron, upon retirement, moved to Traverse City. He became the executive director for the festival.

The band created an album of ‘greatest hits’ called “The Sound of the Dundee Scots”. This included recordings from competitions dating from 1968 through 1971. Hence, the ‘greatest hits’ comment. The recordings were the following: Scotland the Brave (their theme), British Grenadier & Rule Britannia, Field Competition 1971: Narrator – Robert Lemke, Trumpet Voluntary, Brigadoon Medley, Commonwealth Medley, What Kind of Fool am I, Wee MacGregor, Londonderry Aire, Auld Lang Syne, Brigadoon Fanfare, Camelot Medley, When Johnny Comes Marching Home, Macarena, Requiem for the Masses, Swing Low, Somewhere, April in Paris, and We’ve Only Just Begun.

Mr. Heffron retired after the 1978-1979 school year. Kenneth Kielniarz, took over leadership of the band. One change he made was to allow females to be bagpipers. One thing that stayed the same was the major fundraiser for the band. Anyone from Dundee High or that area knows the Hoagie. Mention that you have a copy of the Hoagie recipe and a ton of people will ask for it. In fact, on the Carpentersville Memories webpage there are two posts with recipes.