Jackson Band Festival

There are a few things that come to mind when autumn rolls around: cooler temperatures, football and, of course, marching band music.

Tonight is the 66th annual Jackson Band Festival. The festivities begin at 4 p.m. with a parade through uptown Jackson. At 6:30 p.m. the bands will play at the Jackson High School Stadium. Admission to the show is $2 for adults and $1 for students. Proceeds from the event will benefit the Southeast Missouri High School Band Association.

The festival started in 1945 with former Jackson High School band director LeRoy Mason. The noncompetitive band event has grown so that two locations are now needed to accommodate all the schools wanting to participate. Sikeston hosts the other festival.

Bands participating in tonight's event in Jackson are: Advance, Cape Girardeau Central High School, Chaffee, Charleston, Delta, Meadow Heights, Oak Ridge, Perryville, Scott City, Scott County Central, Woodland, Jackson freshmen and Jackson High School.

A highlight of the evening will be the patriotic salute at the end of the concert. Nearly 1,000 band members from all the schools will take the field to play the national anthem and "America the Beautiful."

Support our local marching bands tonight. We're looking forward to a great show.