Mount Pleasant High School will host the Northeast Texas Marching Festival on Saturday, October 8 at Sam Parker Field. Bands and color guards from 22 area high schools will perform beginning at 10:00 a.m. with the band from New Boston High School leading off. The contest runs all day. As the host band, the MPHS Goin’ Gold Band won’t compete but will perform at 9:00 a.m.
Area bands competing include Rivercrest, Mt. Vernon, Liberty Eylau, Winnsboro, Mineola, Texas High, Marshall, Kilgore, Paris and Atlanta High Schools. Bishop Lynch High School from Dallas will compete at noon.
The awards ceremony will take place a 4:15 p.m. Awards to be presented include 1st Division Band, 1st Division Color Guard, 1st Division Percussion, 1st Division Drum Major, Most Outstanding Drum Line, Most Outstanding Color Guard, Most Outstanding Drum Major and Northeast Texas Marching Band Finalist.
Seven bands will advance to the finals. After each of the seven gives one final performance, the Northeast Texas Marching Festival Grand Champion will be announced at 7 p.m.
Judges will include Dr. Nathan Templeton from Texas A&M Commerce,
Les Pack from the University of Arkansas at Monticello, and Sherri Morgan from Hallsville High School.
“MPHS has hosted this event for several years,” said Dr. Judi Saxton, MPISD Communication Director. “Each year, we’ve had great turn outs and have seen some awesome performances. These band students work long and hard to perfect these routines and it shows. We invite the Mount Pleasant community to come out and enjoy these performances.”
Admission for the Marching Festival is $3 for adults and $2 for k-12th grade students. Children 5 and under are free. Concession stands will be open.
For more information, or directions to Sam Parker Field, contact Mount Pleasant High School at 903-575-2020.