FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, Oct. 24, 2005
Contact: Dave Wellman, Director of Communications (304) 696-7153
 

Big weekend ahead for Marching Thunder

Band host to festival Saturday, performs at Bengals’ game Sunday

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Marshall University’s Marching Thunder will participate in two major events this weekend, Steve Barnett, director of athletic bands, said today.

The Marching Thunder will be host to the Tri-State Marching Festival on Saturday, Oct. 29, and will perform at halftime of the Cincinnati Bengals’ National Football League home game with the Green Bay Packers Sunday, Oct. 30.

The weekend starts off at 10:30 a.m. Saturday with the marching festival at Joan C. Edwards Stadium. Thirty-four high school bands from Virginia, West Virginia, Ohio and Kentucky will compete in four classes. The festival is the culmination of the season for high school bands.

The Marching Thunder will perform at 8:30 p.m. after the competition ends. Kappa Kappa Psi, the national honorary band service fraternity, helps sponsor the event and serves as the primary organizer.

“The festival is a really positive experience for the bands,” Barnett said. “We have worked hard organizing the event to make it one of the largest festivals in the region. Our stadium is a great venue and they know it’s going to be a big show.”

The Bengals’ game with Green Bay the next day begins at 1 p.m. at Paul Brown Stadium. The band won’t play during the game, but will perform its full seven-and-a-half minute halftime show. “This is an excellent opportunity for our students,” Barnett said. “It will be fun for the kids to just be spectators at the game.”

Barnett, aided by a phone call from Marshall football coach Mark Snyder, initiated the arrangements for the band to perform at the game. Barnett, realizing that opportunities for the band to travel this football season would be limited because of the distant locations of most Conference USA schools, and the expense of traveling to those schools, decided to check into the possibility of playing at a Bengals’ game.

Barnett said 12 Marching Thunder members are from the Cincinnati area. Performing at the game, he said, will give Marshall more exposure and show high school students in the area what Marshall has to offer.

“Although we have 12 (band) students from that area, many of the people there don’t know a lot about Marshall,” Barnett said. “Our out-of-state tuition is less than in-state tuition there, plus Marshall is close.”

The 270-member band, largest in school history, will leave Huntington at 6 a.m. Sunday on seven buses. The Bengals are paying for all of the band’s expenses. The game will be televised on FOX.

For more information, persons may contact Barnett at (304) 696-2317.

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