Lily Proulx-Scandone, freshman
The Palisades Marching Band completed yet another season at Hershey Park this Saturday! Competing for Cavalcade of Bands, the band moved up from their old class of Independence to American, having grown in size from previous years. Each student in the band poured in hundreds of hours to practice the show for the year, which is performed at every football game and competition. This year’s show, the Jewel and the Dragon, featured the story of heroic adventurers reclaiming a magical jewel from an evil dragon who stole the jewel. The music switched from hopeful to somber and from joyful to tense and action-filled.
The students started in late July with pre-camp sectionals, where the section leaders worked hard with new students to teach the basics of marching band. The band met for several weeks to have casual rehearsals and fundraise before band camp. Band camp was then spent working hard to learn the music and movement for the upcoming season. The students finished up their summer by playing in the stands and performing the show at the first few football games.
When school started, the band was already gearing up for an action-packed season. The first competition of the year, hosted at Plymouth-Whitemarsh, stood as a starting ground for the band. With a score of 74.6, the band was the only one in their division to compete that night. The following weeks were spent in rehearsing and improving the show and fitting the entire band with new uniforms. At both Nazareth High School and Whitehall High School, the band grew into the show even more. The competition at Whitehall showed tremendous improvement and focus from the band and high hopes for the remainder of the season. As the season started to wind down and come to a close with the football games ending and Senior Night taking place, the last regular competition took place at Hatboro-Horsham High School. The band finished third, achieved a score of 84.00, and started preparing for championships.
With a bright and early start this Saturday, the students were filled with energy as they met to leave for Hershey Park. The Ottsvile and Springtown Fire Company provided an escort out of Bucks County for the buses, and parent volunteers helped to unload and load up the truck that carries all of the equipment for the show. The band performed at 2:15 PM, in what would be the last performance for the seniors. This last show filled the stadium with energy and drive from the students, hoping to make the best impression possible on the judges. Awards started at 3:45, after an exhibition by Towson University in Maryland. An alumnus of Palisades was even seen in the tuba section!
All of the seniors went out for awards, nervously waiting for the results to be read off. Starting with eleventh place, the members got even more excited as the results went further up the list. The Palisades Marching Band concluded their season in second place, earning a score of 89.64. The night was not just done yet, however.
The band spent the last few hours together at Hershey’s Chocolate World, hanging out together before an emotional bus ride home, where goodbyes were said to all of the seniors. With a conclusion like this though, everyone felt surprised and happy at how well the band did this year.
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