The 55th Annual Washington High School (Gene Hunt) Marching Band Festival took place on Saturday, October 7. The festival featured a field competition at WHS. There was no parade.
As the hosts, the Washington High School Marching Blue Jays, also known as “The Pride of Washington,” gave an exhibition performance. They were not eligible for awards.
The Southeast Missouri State University Marching Band also gave an exhibition performance after the preliminaries.
There were 14 bands on hand for the event, including two of the largest bands in Missouri with Rolla High School, over 190 members, and Nixa High School, the largest band in the state with over 240 members.
Also performing were Borgia, Wright City, Ft. Zumwalt East, St. Charles, Helias, Eureka, Pattonville, Grandview, Sullivan, Seckman, Hermann and Francis Howell Central.
The Pride of Washington is comprised of students in grades 9-12 and has 155 members this year. They began rehearsing in June and finish their season in November with football playoff games. They travel to local competitions and compete at BOA St. Louis. Their show brings competitive elements to the field as well as interesting music, design, and color guard.
The Blue Jays also are involved in many parades throughout the year. They start the season with the Washington Fair Parade in August. They also march in the WHS Homecoming Parade and the City of Washington’s Christmas Parade held the day after Thanksgiving.
The Pride of Washington will compete at the Ft. Zumwalt North River City Showcase on Saturday, October 14. They compete in the preliminaries at 12:30 p.m. The finals are scheduled to begin at 6:15 p.m.
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Photos of the Pride of Washington’s performance at the Washington Band Festival are below.
Click here for a video.
