KEARNEY – Twenty-eight middle and high school marching bands will join the University of Nebraska at Kearney for its 64th annual Band Day Parade.
A staple of the fall marching season, the event is scheduled for 10 a.m. Sept. 23 in downtown Kearney. The parade route begins at 21st Street and Third Avenue, follows Third Avenue south to Railroad Street, heads east to Central Avenue, then turns north before ending at the intersection of Central Avenue and 24th Street.
UNK Band Day is a celebration of music that showcases programs from across Nebraska and serves as preparation for the Oct. 7 Harvest of Harmony Parade and Field Competition in Grand Island. The top three bands in each class will receive trophies for parade marching, and additional trophies will be awarded to the outstanding drum line and color guard and overall champion.
Bands will also participate in the Bearcat Marching Festival, which follows the Band Day Parade awards ceremony at Kearney High School. The festival provides a “comments only” clinic format, where bands receive feedback about their field performances in advance of formal competitions later in the fall.
UNK Band Day participants (listed in order of performance)
UNK Pride of the Plains Marching Band
Faith Christian
Cozad Middle School
Ogallala Middle School
Elm Creek
Pleasanton
Arcadia
Shelton
Axtell
Wilcox-Hildreth
Parkview Christian
Stapleton
Kenesaw
Amherst
Grand Island Central Catholic
Gibbon
Ord
North Platte St. Patrick’s
Arapahoe
Ravenna
Broken Bow
Holdrege
Kearney Catholic
Gering
Lincoln North Star
North Platte
Columbus
Grand Island
Kearney High
