KEARNEY – Marching band music will fill the streets of downtown Kearney this weekend.
The University of Nebraska at Kearney is hosting its 66th annual Band Day Parade at 10 a.m. Saturday. A long-standing staple of the fall marching season, the event features 36 middle and high school bands, along with the UNK Pride of the Plains Marching Band.
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. 4 Harvest of Harmony Parade and Field Competition in Grand Island. The top three bands in each class will receive trophies for parade marching, with additional trophies awarded to the outstanding drum line and color guard and overall champion.
Following the awards ceremony, bands will participate in the Bearcat Marching Festival at Kearney High School. That event 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
Horizon and Sunrise Middle Schools
Faith Christian
Cozad Middle School
Holdrege Middle School
Ogallala Middle School
Central City Middle School
Lexington Middle School
North Platte St. Patrick’s
Wilcox-Hildreth
Arcadia
Kenesaw
Overton
Homeschool Harmonies
Parkview Christian
Elm Creek
Shelton
Arapahoe-Holbrook
Loup City
Bertrand
Wood River
Ord
Grand Island Central Catholic
Doniphan-Trumbull
Centura
Kearney Catholic
Gibbon
Amherst
Ravenna
Broken Bow
Central City High School
Holdrege High School
North Platte
Columbus
Hastings
Grand Island
Kearney
