Our local marching bands deserve a round of applause

Several area bands will come together Tuesday, Oct. 3, as part of the 79th annual Jackson Band Festival.

There are a dozen high school marching bands from throughout the region participating, including: Chaffee Marching Red Devil Band, Scott City Marching Rams, Kelly Marching Hawks, Cape Central Marching Tigers and Jackson Chiefs Band. The Southeast Missouri State University marching band is also set to perform.

The Parade of Bands will begin at 4 p.m., making its way through uptown Jackson. And at 6:30 p.m., the festival will take place at the high school stadium.

Cost to attend the evening event is $2 for adults and $1 for students. This is a great opportunity to see some of the talent from the region.

Speaking of marching bands, the Southeast Missouri State University marching band will perform at the Bands of America Super Regional Championship on Saturday, Oct. 21, at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. The event is largely made up of high school marching bands, but two college programs are asked to participate. This is quite an honor for the Redhawks.

"This is a big deal for us," Jim Daughters, director of SEMO's marching band, told the Southeast Missourian earlier this year. "It recognizes all the hard work that our students are doing with the marching band."

Along with the participation at Bands of America, the SEMO marching band will host an alumni band during Homecoming. A number of marching band alums will join the current band for a special performance.

There are many students who participate in marching band throughout the area. They put in many hours of practice and perform frequently. It's a demonstration of art, skill and personal dedication. We applaud your efforts.