Fun on the field at Jackson Marching Band Festival

Heads jerked up when a high-pitched scream escaped from a Charleston marching band player.

"What was that?" viewers in the bleachers murmured to each other. "Whoa, is everyone OK?"

They were. The scream was just a cue.

In unison, the marchers placed their instruments on the field and began the dance from the video for Michael Jackson's "Thriller," the song they had been playing. Hips shook, toes rose, hands moved to waists.

"It was hard to learn, especially for the guys. But the first time we did it people really got into it. I think it's fun doing the toe thing," said ninth-grader Kamari Allmon as he marched off the field to a cheering audience.

The Jackson Marching Chiefs played during the Jackson Marching Band Festival parade Tuesday. (Kit Doyle)

Players from across Southeast Missouri gathered Tuesday night for the 63rd annual Jackson Marching Band Festival.

Grandparents set up video cameras, parents searched for their children on the field through binoculars, alumni gathered to relive fond memories, and students sized up other bands.

It was the first time many had seen other local schools perform their halftime routines.

The noncompetitive event was established in 1945 as a way to bring communities together to showcase their bands. This year, 11 bands participated in the field show, 12 in a 4 p.m. parade through Jackson's uptown. The event has grown so much that the festival has split to two locations; the other will be in Sikeston next week.

Viewers spilled over from the bleachers onto the surrounding grass; they sat on blankets, sipping soda or eating popcorn and clapping along to songs.

Parent Wanda Young has a daughter who plays in Jackson's freshman band. "I like it just so each school can come out and show their best," she said. The freshman band performed "YMCA," spelling out the letters in formation.

For Leigh Little, it was her first time back to the event in 10 years. She performed in the festival when she was a student in Scott City and wanted to introduce her fiance, who just moved from California, to "one of our long-standing community events."

For smaller schools, such as Chaffee, the festival was an opportunity to perform with bigger schools and still get respect. "Every band is treated equal, whether they are from a 5A school or a 1A," Jackson band director Tom Broussard said.

Some students couldn't help gossiping, however, on which bands looked "really cool" or might have slipped up.

"It's like a sin against humanity if anyone's out of step, but then it happens to us, too," said Jackson sophomore Tessa McNally, fixing her plume to go onto the field.

Jackson's theme was "Americana Spectacular." The band is noncompetitive, instead opting to focus on all-district and all-state placements. Last year, 56 students were selected to play in the all-district band and nine were selected for the all-state band. In the all-state band, Jackson had the highest number of students, five, receiving first-chair placements, according to Broussard.

Cape Girardeau, on the other hand, spends its collective energy on marching. It has won its first two competitions of the year, one in Murphysboro, Ill., on Sept. 15 and another in Farmington, Mo., on Sept. 22.

Last year, the band came in second at both competitions.

"We're doing better. We've been working hard, and the hard work has paid off," director Neil Casey said. "It's eight minutes of movement and playing, and it does not let up."

Senior Betty Buhs said the band is getting more respect around the school. "People realize how much work it is and the three to four weeks we were here in the summer," she said.

lbavolek@semissourian.com

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