In the fall of 1998, the St. Bernard High School Marching Band returned to the field after a nearly twenty-year hiatus. In the fall of 1999, St. Bernard High School reclaimed its status as the only Catholic high school in the state of Connecticut with a competitive marching band. During the 1999 season, St. Bernard hosted the inaugural Big Dog Fall Preview, a USSBA sanctioned competition, named in honor of the school's mascot, Butler the Saint Bernard. Butler served in that role for seven years until his retirement in the summer of 2005.