For those of you who haven’t been in a school band of any kind, this may mean nothing. All of us who have been, at one time in our lives, “band geeks,” you’ll more than understand. You see, I missed the Carpinteria High School Alumni Band Reunion last weekend.

After my father died in a helicopter crash Nov. 7, 1966, in the ocean off of Carpinteria, that whole town kind of adopted me. Friends from the high school there made sure I attended various school functions and have always treated me as an actual graduate of Carpinteria High School.

I attended that school for only one semester in the Fall of 1966. My mother and I returned to the SCV and bought a home in Saugus on Los Roques, on the corner of San Francisquito Canyon Road (now called Seco Canyon Road).

It turned out that events at Carpinteria High and Hart High seldom had any conflict in scheduling, so I was able to attend a prom or two at Hart and the same number at Carpinteria. Homecoming events in my senior year worked out so I could attend both.

I wondered which side I would sit on, if we ever played an away game at Carpinteria. Fortunately that never happened, so I guess I was saved a few hours of time with a therapist.

I graduated from Hart High in 1968, two days before the graduation exercises at Carpinteria. That way I got to attend grad night at Disneyland twice. I spent the next weekend sleeping.

At the Carpinteria graduation, I was asked by one of the teachers if I wanted to walk with the class. He said I should have been with them, and my former classmates would be happy and proud to have me join them. He said they had a spare cap and gown plus a diploma folder to hand me if I wanted to do that.

I declined, but somehow I regret that I did. Had it happened, I could say I graduated from high school twice. (I think I was fortunate to get one real diploma.)

In the years since, both towns have grown a lot. I remember enrolling at Carpinteria High School and I was the 476th student in the school. The band was tiny, especially compared to the band at Hart High. There were about 14 members of the band at Carpinteria in 1966. That was half the size of a normal Pep Band for Hart basketball games.

I loved that little band. The homecoming parade was on Linden Avenue in Carpinteria, and the band got to ride on a flatbed truck. No marching. Way cool that.

Once Carpinteria started growing, the band there did, too. Since then it is an award-winning marching band that could rival a Hart band, I’m sure. (Rival, yes. Beat, NO.)

Both schools had mascots called Warriors or Indians. School colors now are about the same: red, black and white. At the time I attended Hart, the band colors were still maroon and gray.

Anyway, my dentist, Dr. Dell Goodrick DDS, is an alumnus of Carpinteria and reminded me of the band reunion that I missed. He then reminded me that I missed it. All in good fun. That said, he went on to say it was time for a check-up. (That reminder was serious.)

On Thursday I went to lunch in Carpinteria following a glass blowing class in Santa Barbara. I’ll show you some pictures of what I made when I pick up the object this weekend. I’ll just say that marching in a band was a lot easier than making a bowl from molten glass.

Sitting at a restaurant on Linden Avenue called “SLY’s” and having a wonderful shrimp and crab salad, it came to mind that I missed the reunion. I don’t know why I remembered that, but maybe it was the fact that the street was being blocked off for the Avocado Festival, which started yesterday.

And then – it must have been about my third thick slice of avocado – it came to me. We need to have a Hart High Band Reunion soon. What do you think?

All of us “band geeks” getting together at the Hart Auditorium. Or how about a Hart DISTRICT band reunion? We all gather in the stadium at COC. Does that sound like fun to you? I’m really excited about getting it together.

We could sit out on the field by school. We’ll leave a blank area for the future Castaic High band. Maybe a chair with a kazoo sitting on it. At the rate it is being built, we’ll see when it happens. And if the dump expands, do we want a Hart District school in such close proximity?

Again, I digress.

So I’ve got to ask the question: What do all y’all think about a William S. Hart Union High School District band reunion? How many of us old band geeks would attend?

The current band members could come in uniform. We older folks would wear a special T-shirt and ball cap. Just like at Carpinteria in 1966, instead of marching, we would get into a large flatbed trailer.

So much to plan. So much to do. Can’t wait. Any volunteers? Anyone?

Thanks. Let me know what you think.

Darryl Manzer grew up in the Pico Canyon oil town of Mentryville in the 1960s and attended Hart High School. After a career in the U.S. Navy he returned to live in the Santa Clarita Valley. He can be reached at dmanzer@scvhistory.com. His older commentaries are archived at DManzer.com; his newer commentaries can be accessed [here]. Watch his walking tour of Mentryville [here].