By Janelle Gelfand
The Cincinnati Enquirer

HYDE PARK - Fifty kids in the Withrow Band are hoping to bring glory to their school.

Last year, the Withrow High School band consisted of a handful of players, struggling to learn on broken instruments. Marching on a field for a football game seemed like a dream.

This year, the Withrow band - now 50 strong - has been invited to play Thanksgiving Day for the Turkey Day Classic at Alabama State University in Montgomery, Ala. The fledgling band will have an audience of 30,000. It's Alabama's homecoming against Tuskegee University.

"It's a great opportunity," says band director Michael Wade. "It's a very prestigious classic."

The band was revived last year after falling silent for most of the past decade.

Its musicians now practice daily on the Hyde Park school's athletic field.

After a story in the Enquirer two years ago, the program received a $26,500 grant from the Corbett Foundation. The musicians got another boost recently when the Withrow Alumni Association pitched in $10,000 for new instruments. Before that, they made do with instruments that were broken or beyond repair.

Now Withrow has 20 horn players, 15 drummers and a 15-member drill team.

They even have uniforms, hand-me-downs from Anderson High, with Withrow patches sewn on.

"That's all we have right now. We hope to get our own uniforms eventually," Wade says.

Right now his priority is sending his kids to play in Alabama. With hotels, buses and meals for the trip, he estimates he'll need $10,000 to accept the invitation. He's looking for corporate or individual sponsors.

"We need donations for the kids," Wade says.

To help, write to Withrow International High School, 2488 Madison Road, Cincinnati 45208, attention Mr. Wade. (Checks may be made to the Withrow High School Band.) Or call 363-9043.

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E-mail jgelfand@enquirer.com