Tag Archives: mcbride

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This Month in the Civil War – by Sandy McBride

As the War Between the States entered its fourth calendar year, both sides in this costly conflict were faced with shortages of manpower.  Casualties, both from combat and sickness, had been massive for both sides.

With civil war looming in 1861, the rebellious Confederate States of America had asked the men with whom they were building their armies to volunteer for a twelve-month commitment.  But in reality, this would mean that in the spring of 1862, the Confederate army could have conceivably disappeared while the rebellious southern states still struggled to become a separate nation.

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Winter Concert at Mechanicville HS – by Sandy McBride

It was standing room only at the Paul N. Luther Auditorium last Wednesday evening for the annual Mechanicville Junior/Senior High School Winter Band Concert.  Conducted by instrumental music teacher Michael Jeffery, three bands . . . the 6th grade band, the 7th and 8th grade band and the high school band . . . delighted their packed house audience as each of them in turn performed a selection of classics and holiday favorites.  The show concluded with nearly 20 MHS alumni musicians joining the high school band on stage for a beautiful rendition of “I’ll Be Home for Christmas”.

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Civil War and Christmas – by Sandy McBride

1863 had been a hard year in the War Between the States.  Men had fought and died in places the names of which will never be forgotten . . . Vicksburg, Gettysburg, Chancellorsville, Brandy Station, Chickamauga, Chattanooga.  The tide of war throughout the bloody year had ebbed and flowed both ways, yet neither side seemed willing to give it up.

In the final days of November, General George Gordon Meade, commander of the Union’s Army of the Potomac, which had been victorious at Gettysburg, would have one more crack at the seemingly indomitable General Robert E. Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia.  But as the two sides faced off along the Rapidan River in Virginia, Meade’s advance stalled, giving Lee time to prepare his defenses.  After skirmishes in the area around Mine Run at New Hope Church and Payne’s Farm, Meade thought better of it all. On December 2 he pulled back his forces before the skirmishes could lead to yet another full-scale bloodbath.  The fall campaign would come to an end without another devastating round of casualties.

The entire article is in the Dec. 19th issue of the Express.

 

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Mechanicville High School Variety Show – By Sandy McBride

The Mechanicville Junior/Senior High School Drama Club does it all. They are aspiring writers. They choreograph their own dances. They sing, they play guitar, they do monologues and pratfalls. They are adept at improv. They can operate lights, sound systems, set up a stage. They run a snack bar, sell raffle tickets, and greet guests. If it needs to be done, they get it done.

The entire article is in the Dec. 12 issue of the Express.

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Mechanicville/Stillwater Bands Perform – by Sandy McBride

“The hills are alive with the sound of music . . . ” once again, as the annual Northeast Instrumental Music Festival was held at Lake Placid’s High Peaks Resort overlooking beautiful Mirror Lake in this world-renowned Adirondack Mountain village on the weekend before Thanksgiving.

An outstanding contingent of high school instrumentalists from Mechanicville High School and Stillwater High School qualified for the festival and made the trek to Lake Placid to play with the Northeast All-Star Concert Band.  This festival annually showcases the top scholastic musicians from all over the northeast.  An added feature of this annual event is the performance by an adult band of highly skilled musicians called the Great American Community Band.

Read the entire article in the Dec. 5th edition of The Express Newspaper

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