Marty's Goldenaires helps end Festival Ironwood

By PAMELA JANSSON

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Ironwood - A performance by Marty's Goldenaires Drum and Bugle Corps was part of the final evening of Festival Ironwood on Saturday.

Under the direction of Dan Pitrone and co-director Dustin Pitrone, corps members performed inside of the main tent within the Historic Ironwood Depot as a huge crowd spilled out into the nearby vicinity and cheered on the performance.

Dan Pitrone described the group as "the only drum and bugle corps with which you can sing along" and "the only remaining senior drum and bugle corps sponsored by the American Legion in the United States."

Marty's is affiliated with American Legion Post 27 in Bessemer.

The audience brought a lot of love for the guys, as is typical.

Some of the shoutouts were personal, as with a proud mom calling out "That's my son!" Other accolades were directed to the members at large: "You make the festival!" and "Thank you for your service!" and "We've been in love with you for years!"

"Marty's Goldenaires is about two things," said member Pearce Graham, with his voice breaking. "One is our family. We love our family. And the second is dedication."

A strong component of patriotism is part of every Marty's performance, along with a recognition of members who served in the U.S. Armed Forces.

Everyone in the audience stood for the final song of "This is Our Country."

Marty's annual fundraising picnic will be on Aug. 17, starting at noon, at the American Legion in Bessemer. It will include picnic food, a bake sale, kids' games, door prizes and live music by a variety of musicians all day and into the evening, including another performance by Marty's.

Next year is Marty's 75th anniversary.

so it's going to be a really special year," said Dan Pitrone.