Strike Up the Band in Support of Granite State Trains


Exeter, NH – At the Exeter train station on Wednesday, March 16th, at 7:15 pm, the Leftist Marching Band will perform for the Downeaster, Amtrak’s train service from Boston to Portland. The band will play rousing train tunes as the 7:30 p.m. train arrives. The group will then jump aboard to take the party to Durham and on to Dover, celebrating all of NH’s stops. In Dover, the band will disembark and send the train off to Portland with another tune.

The Leftist Marching Band is doing this whistle-stop tour to draw attention to the efforts of the Trainriders / Northeast, a non-profit group of volunteers who have worked 17 years to make the Downeaster possible and they continue to be dedicated to bringing faster, more modern passenger rail service to Northern New England. The group has produced more than 3,000 informational flyers in collaboration with the NH Railroad Revitalization Association, Downeast riders and other concerned citizens. Members from all of these groups have passed out the flyers to train passengers and community leaders to promote the Downeaster service. Trainriders / Northeast has also issued several press releases to highlight an upcoming NH Executive Council vote. According to the Trainriders’ website, “The New Hampshire Executive Council will vote on March 23 on a bi-state DOT proposal to use $1.2 million of federal transportation funds to improve the rail corridor in New Hampshire. This funding will improve rail safety, freight capacity and expand Downeaster service in our state.“ To learn more about this vote, go to Trainriders / Northeast’s website at www.trainridersne.org

When asked why the Leftist Marching Band was doing this, drummer Dave Kellam replied, “Because trains are better for the environment, better for our communities and have good natural rhythm.” He added, “We admire the work of the Trainriders and want to help them raise awareness about the Executive Council vote. We want everyone to find a Councilor and tell him or her that the Downeaster deserves the money.”

The band’s set list for the train celebration will include “Ticket to Ride” by the Beatles, “I’ve Been Working on the Railroad” in a snappy surf tune style, and an irreverent rendition of “Night Train” with special lyrics for the NH Executive Council. The band invites anyone to join them for the moving celebration. The price of the 24 minute ride from Exeter to Dover is $6 and tickets may be purchased at the Amtrak website: www.amtrak.com.

The Leftist Marching Band is a group of adults in the Seacoast who support politically progressive issues and organizations. The members are committed to the promotion of free speech, justice for all, and the right to celebrate these notions with merriment and joyous songs.

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