Marching bands strut stuff

JACKSON, Mo. -- Jackson residents lined the downtown streets Tuesday as 18 bands from Southeast Missouri showed off their marching and musical skills.

Shop owners and managers on High Street crowded into storefronts to watch sousaphones, bass drums, trumpets and majorettes bound past.

Although the crowd offered hearty applause for each performance, the standing cheers were reserved for their hometown Jackson Marching Chiefs, playing "Everything's Coming Up Roses."

Though not one of the larger bands, Greenville High School drew onlookers' attention with a powerful brass section.

The 57th annual Jackson Marching Band Festival continued a long tradition of giving band students a way to strut their stuff in a noncompetitive atmosphere, said band director Tom Broussard.

Several of the schools have no football programs, so this festival is the only chance their bands have to march outside of parades.

Tribute to 'Sarge'

After the parade and a dinner break, the bands returned for the evening performance at the high school stadium.

Each groups performed on the field, some performing their half-time shows.

For the finale, Patricia Schwent was paid tribute by all the bands, including her alma mater, Valle High School in Ste. Genevieve.

Schwent retired this spring after 30 years as a band director, 26 of them in Jackson. She didn't retire from music, though: A professional saxophonist, Schwent is assistant director of the Jackson Municipal Band.

The massive group band swirled into formation, spelling out 1971, the year she graduated from Southeast Missouri State University and took her first teaching position at band director at Woodland High School.

The next formation was 1975, marking the year Schwent was hired as a band director in Jackson.

Finally, the band spelled out SARGE, a nickname from her band students.

abuchanan@semissourian.com

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