With the hot summer days upon us, it’s hard to believe that back in May the Marching Mustangs had to cancel their annual Parade-a-thon due to cold weather. This had never happened before, but with temperatures in the upper 40s on the scheduled night, Scott Weber didn’t feel like the band members would have an enjoyable or memorable experience marching down the streets of Mount Vernon.
Now, the reverse situation will present itself on Friday, Aug. 6, at 6 p.m. when the Marching Mustangs reattempt the 2021 Parade-a-Thon. They are hoping that a beautiful summer evening in Iowa will bring out the community to support the band as they march through town and present lawn concerts at prearranged locations.
The Parade-a-Thon route will take place in two sections of Mount Vernon in order to still cover the area that had been advertised in May, beginning at the First Street Community Center, and to take in the Stonebrook neighborhood in order to end for a celebration to mark the end of the week-long band camp that all the students will have just finished.
Attendees will enjoy a more polished band than what would have been seen in May because the students will have spent the previous five days in rigorous rehearsals and drills as they prepare for the 2021 Marching Band season.
The community is invited to line the parade route and cheer on the band as they march through town. Parents will be carrying buckets to collect donations to help the band finance their upcoming trip to Chicago for the Thanksgiving Parade. Any amount that is dropped in the buckets will benefit the band.
The band will also be offering lawn concerts along the route, where the band stops to play a song medley and the Color Guard provides choreography with the flags. These can be arranged for a donation of $25. They will only occur at locations along the established route. Two lawn concerts will take place on each route (four concerts total). To book a lawn concert, call Sherene Player at 432-3685 or send an email to [email protected].
At the end of the first route, the band will stop at Don Stine’s yard on Seventh Street NW to play for him. The band appreciates and honors the legacy that Don and Judy Stine created with the Mount Vernon Music Department and wish to pay tribute to him with this lawn concert.
After the concert at Stine’s yard, the band will be transported over to the Cornell dorms on Third Street SW and march along the second part of their parade route, ending just outside the entrance of Stonebrook on Palisades Road. This portion of the Parade-a-Thon will begin approximately at 7:10 pm.
Alumni of the Marching Mustangs are encouraged to come out to the Parade-a-Thon, wearing their band t-shirts from years past, and cheer on and support the current marching band. The Band asks that the community shares the news of the event with family and friends so that the parade route will be filled with supporters of the Band.
The students and the directors realize the responsibility and honor of representing Mount Vernon in the upcoming marching band season and in Chicago. They are hopeful that the community will come out to support them in this fundraising effort.
“Our community support is incredible and our fundamental goal is to represent our community with the utmost respect,” said Weber. “This is our way of giving back to the community and continuing to be the PRIDE of Mount Vernon.”