A roaring congratulations to Lisbon Schools, as well as Anamosa, Solon and Mount Vernon, in the first Hwy. 1 Marching Band Classic held at Walmer Field Tuesday, Oct. 11.
It was a terrific fundraiser for the Lisbon School bands and lived up to what organizers of this year’s events wanted to see happen – highlight the terrific field shows that these four schools had put together for the year.
Because of the nature of marching band shows, the music covered ranged from Nirvana, Dire Straits and even James Bond.
Even more than that, though, the performance highlighted what makes arts and art events so successful. Unlike sporting events, where there’s always a winner and a loser and both teams are trying to be the winner, arts events are always about how these groups come together to give the best performances they can.
As a first-time event, one of the logistics that had been forgotten was power to the field and who was providing it. Mount Vernon brought back their generator to help Anamosa keep their field show going on and provide the opportunity for Anamosa to perform their show to highlight their performances, that is routine in the arts. It happens at speech contests. It happens at choir contests.
As well, each school cheered and clapped to school fight songs to encourage the audience to do the same. For one evening, rivalries took a backseat to encouragement and cheers from all schools showcasing their best music.
It was also a great fundraiser for Lisbon schools to support new band uniforms, something the growing program at the school could definitely use.
It was a great sight to see and for people who missed it, Solon will be hosting next year’s classic.
A reminder as well – Oct. 27 will be the last edition we will run letters to the editor in support of any candidate in the upcoming general election. Those letters need to be in by Friday, Oct. 21, at 5 p.m. for publication.