Guide to Marching Festivals

 This guide is meant to help assist you with our travels.

General Notes:
First things first...scheduled times are ONLY approximate times.  If festivals run ahead of schedule, we are not mandated to go early, but we can.  Please be early in case the festival is running ahead of schedule and we're eager to go.

Saturday marching festivals are long days!  We leave early and get home late.  We have a great support group that goes along with us (and you are ALL invited to be a part of that group).  We "set up camp" and essentially tailgate all day long.  Parents bring snacks, cookies, brownies, fruit, etc to share with the group.  It's like a great church pot-luck!  Local grocery stores donate mass amounts of water for us to take along.  Your kids will not go thirsty or hungry!  Therefore it's not essential you give your child a large amount of money every time we go somewhere.  There are always concessions available and they probably will want to purchase one meal throughout the day, as the band boosters always make sure to provide at least one meal for our students as well.  Sunscreen is a great idea to pack along!  Did I already mention our competition days are LONG days?  You'll get a text message from me if you've signed up for Celly when we're on our way home telling your precisely when we'll pull in town.  This message has a three-fold mentality associated with it:  1) You don't have to sit in an empty parking lot for a long time, 2) We need extra help unloading when we get back---we're tired and 3) we all want to get home quickly, including the staff.  Please know I will never hold the kids later than a rehearsal is scheduled to run in order to help develop a habit of getting everyone  picked up and home in a timely manner throughout the year.
 
Parade Routes:  Please refrain from walking with the band along the parade route.  We will have a few parents that will walk either in front of our behind the band in case we drop equipment.  No one should walk to the side of the band except staff.  

Effective Show of Support:  Spectators are an important part of our performances!  We feed off the the applause and other signs of support you give while performing! At appropriate times, don't be afraid to let your "Inner Tiger" come out!

Other ways to help:  Besides food, we generally need several parents to help move equipment into gyms or onto the field.  Please know there's always something to do to help us out and become a part of our travelling circus!  

Carrollton Band Day  
(drive time 1 hour 35 minutes)

Carrollton Band day is the first major marching festival of the season in our part of the state.  It usually hosts around 80 bands throughout the day.  A parade in downtown Carrollton goes around the square.  There are separate competitions for indoor flags and drumline which happen inside the high school gymnasium.  The field competition ends the day with a major awards ceremony that should not be missed due to it's wild enthusiasm!  

The parade is a good walk from the high school to downtown.  We generally start our hike to the the parade route about 45-55 minutes before our scheduled performance time. Any spectator that has issues with walking, you'll want to drive and find parking close to the downtown square area.  

Everything else is located at the high school and is very close in proximity.  We generally park along the road by the softball field.  

Please try to frequent their concession stands...this is the band's major fundraiser for the year.  

Monroe City Marching Festival
(drive time 50 minutes)

This is the second year for Monroe City's marching festival.  New astroturf and a fall festival in the downtown area make for a great atmosphere.  All aspects of a marching festival are in play once again...a parade, indoor flags and drumline, and the field competition.  

The parade begins in front of the high school and heads towards the downtown area, stopping just before the city hall/police station, so don't go too far south or you'll miss it!  

All other events are held on the high school campus.

CMU Band Days
(drive time 1 hour 5 minutes)

Located on the beautiful campus of Central Methodist University in Fayette, this festival incorporates all aspects of a traditional marching festival.  

The parade begins in the front of the college campus and culminates in the downtown square just a few blocks away. The indoor percussion competition is held in the basketball arena.  Indoor flags are held in a smaller building behind the basketball arena (as you're heading towards the football stadium).  

Parking for CMU band days is the craziest part of the day for the bands, but as spectators, there is ample parking available in a few different areas of campus.  We generally tailgate in a large open lot down by the baseball fields about two blocks from where the buses park.  

Missouri Days Marching Festival (Trenton)
(driving time 1 hour, 35 minutes)

This festival happens in conjuction with the Missouri Days Festival, a very large open market with tons of vendors.  There are typically around 50 bands in performance throughout the day with all aspects of a marching festival.

The parade begins at North Central Missouri College and runs throughout the two main arteries of Trenton.  This is the longest parade our kids endure as it ends its route a block east of the old middle school.  If you try to watch it any further east of this point, you will miss the parade, so be sure to go towards the downtown area a bit more as you enter town.  

The indoor drumline and flags compete in the high school gymnasium.  The field event is held at the football stadium, which is about two blocks south of the high school.  

We traditionally have parked at the old Park Department building to tailgate.  This is a great area in which there is room for our all parent volunteers to park and assist the band.  

This festival is generally considered one of the favorites to attend due to the Missouri Day Festival happening as well. Kids will definitely want some extra spending cash on this one for marshmallow blow guns or old-fashioned root beer!

Champion of Champions (MU)
(drive time one hour)

Located at the University of Missouri, this is one of the state's culminating marching band activities!  Only a field event, the day is broken into prelims and finals.  Prelims will happen in the morning/early afternoon.  The champion from the smaller class bands, along with the next 9-11 highest scoring bands will take the field in finals that evening under the lights of Faurot Field.  You will see some of the finest marching band programs in the state at this festival!