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band

The Legendary Musical Tunnel at Harvest of Harmony Parade

October 8, 2012 by info@3QuartersToday.com

Every first Saturday in October the Harvest of Harmony marching bands fill a certain tunnel in Nebraska with music. For years I  heard about it, my kids have told how awesome the music is when it reverberates in your ears, but I never witnessed this phenomenon until my son’s senior year in high school.

At the beginning of the Harvest of Harmony parade is a long viaduct and the sound of the and music just echos. Over the years I’ve sat at the reviewing stand and various points along the route. Last year I took video of them coming “out” of the tunnel. But being IN the tunnel is awesome!

The sound is amplified and reverberates off the concrete walls. The Elmwood-Murdock band was entry #185, so I had plenty of time to watch, listen, and enjoy other bands.

Harvest of Harmony marching band parade

The Harvest of Harmony parade, held in Grand Island Nebraska, is one of the largest marching band competitions in the country and in 1996 broke a Guinness World Record for the most marching bands in a parade.

Poster: Music Developes Mental Agility, Purchase from JW Pepper

Marching Band competition
My daughter playing the quads

This particular year, 2012, the Elmwood-Murdock High School band was one of 93 bands from across the state and received a 3rd place out of 25 bands in their division.  In years past they have received second place and even came home with the 1st place trophy in 2009.

Marching band parade in the cold Nebraska Weather
In Nebraska we march in 30F weather

The weather is anything but predictable and this day was no exception. Bundling up is the key to staying warm, as the spectator above was sure to do. The parade starts at 8 am and ends three hours later.

The full parade is not only broadcast live on the Grand Island NTV/ABC  television station, but they post videos of each band on their website in a yearly directory going back to 2008. In 2009 the Elmwood-Murdock marching band took first place in Class C and third overall.

Marching band competition in the Midwest
The last view of the last parade of my kids high school career

The Marching Band Nerds HandbookMusic Notes Black and White Knitted Fingerless GlovesSock It To Me Footnotes Knee High SocksACTIVATE APPAREL It’s Marching Band Athletic Grey Large T-Shirt

Seniors waiting for formal pictures after the band competition
My daughter (rt) with a friend
Senior marching band members after the marching band competition
Seniors being silly. I will miss these kids. (I won’t say which is my daughter, so cute huh?)

At the end of the parade the buses take the schools to the stadium for formal photos on the bleachers. It’s a tradition for a senior photo, my favorite is the “goofy” pose. Yup, this is how the kids really are, in their raw form.

Band Mom's
Band Moms, Cindy and Tracy

Band Moms Unite

Yes, I’m a band Mom. I have literally chased the band down the parade route at many events. I’ve done it for years, from Washington DC to the Nebraska City Apple Jack festival. You take video, take pictures,  run ahead, dodge people and baby strollers, and zig zag down the sidewalk, all while juggling a camera and try not to run out of breath. This time I only chased them a few blocks, found out I’m getting too old to chase bands anymore.

Band Mom Clear Crystal Heart Silver Chain Necklace Music Marching JewelryBand Mom sticker *H321* 8.5 inch wide vinyl march guitar drums kit microphoneInktastic Band Mom Gift Idea Women’s T-Shirt XX-Large Deep Royal BlueInktastic Band Mom treble clef T-Shirt XX-Large Maroon

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So I leave the next few years of following the bands to my friend and fellow blogger Tracy (Nebraska Wheatie). Her daughter is also a senior, but she’s lucky to have one more still in band. Yes, we both chase bands, this year I was only 5 feet behind her as we ran through the tunnel. Her husband Jim saved my hide by noticing my cell phone which bounced out of my coat pocket. THANKS JIM!!!

So while I will miss watching band performances, and yes I shed a few tears, I will NOT miss the chase. It’s been quite the journey.

Fun Facts about the Harvest of Harmony Parade and Band competition.

  • First Harvest of Harmony was held October 20, 1938.
  • 8 Schools marched in the first parade: Grand Island, St. Paul, Ravenna, Gibbon, Scotia, Central City, North Loup, and Broken Bow.
  • The parade was originally named the Central Nebraska Music Festival. Changed to Harvest of Harmony in 1946.
  • The 1st Harvest of Harmony Queen was Pelorice France of Gothenburg.
  • St. Paul has the most candidates named Harvest of Harmony Queen with 8.
  • 21 bands performed in the 1948 parade.
  • In 1996, 130 bands marched in the parade “A Guinness World Record”

Harvest of Harmony brings Nebraska’s Finest Bands to Grand Island

Fall, Football & Festivals (nebraskawheatie.com)

More Information on the Harvest of Harmony Parade

VIDEO: Harvest of Harmony Parade Trivia Tuesday

NBC NEBRASKA TODAY — Hundreds will converge in downtown Grand Island this weekend for the 2015 Harvest of Harmony Parade. People will be able to catch a glimpse of their favorite band member. It’s a Central Nebraska staple event for the last 70 …

200 to 1? No problem at GISH Where Director Gets Student Support

It’s show time. Band kids are polishing their shoes, and their marching routines. Harvest of Harmony kicks off the season in a big way. And for one big band, it wouldn’t work without students taking charge. “Stop, stop, stop,” band director Amy …

Chambers: 40 Years of Excellence

Life comes to a standstill when it’s competition time like Harvest of Harmony. Tomjack, the trumpet player said, “The last one to leave Chambers shut off all the lights, they say the whole town comes. I don’t know if that’s true, but some days it seems …

Chamber announces theme for 74th annual Harvest of Harmony Parade

“The Harvest of Harmony committee was so inspired by the enthusiasm of float participants last year,” said Tara Purdie, the chamber’s communications and events coordinator. “We saw such intricately decorated floats, and the participants seemed to enjoy …

Band Gets 4th at Harvest of Harmony Parade

The Alma band traveled to the Annual Harvest of Harmony event this past Saturday. The competed in the Class D parade competition. The band received 4th place at the competition. Here are some pictures of the band …

2014 Harvest of Harmony leaves big impression – The …

2014 Harvest of Harmony leaves big impression. 2014 Harvest of Harmony leaves big impression. By: RN Staff. It’s been this way since Grand Island’s yearly extravaganza of marching bands began in 1938: freezing morning …

Harvest of Harmony Parade, giving hope to the LGBT …

By Cody Jay, NewsNetNebraska. The Harvest of Harmony Parade, in Grand Island, Neb., is a big event for the city. While the Harvest of Harmony Parade is a celebration for the city of Grand Island, for some it is a way to show …

Harvest of Harmony A Success Despite Cold Weather

Despite temperatures hovering in the low 30s, thousands of people lined the streets of downtown Grand Island Saturday morning for the 71st Annual Harvest of Harmony parade.

Extra Info on Harvest of Harmony :: Kearney High School …

Hello all! Below you will find a link to the GI Chamber of Commerce where you can find… the order of march the parade route the stadium schedule and the Pageant schedule. Good luck to all our students and our Queen …

Filed Under: Events, Small Town Living, Travel Adventures Tagged With: band, Grand Island, harvest of harmony, high school, high school senior, marching band, midwest, music, Nebraska, parade, parenthood, small town

Top Gun: Dangerzone Theme Song

February 20, 2011 by info@3QuartersToday.com

Something a little extra for your listening enjoyment. The music Danger Zone from Top Gun. Both my son and daughter play in the Elmwood-Murdock High School band and tonight was their annual fundraiser.

Over 600 people attended the spaghetti dinner and listened to the various bands from the elementary, junior high, jazz band and high school band. Jen plays percussion, in this song the timpani, which is awesome! My senior plays the trumpet.

If you have been following this blog you might remember that both communities together have a population of about 1000 people, so to say we had a good turnout is an understatement. A lot of this is due to our band director Michael Hanson. When he arrived the band had dwindled from a strong group of over 60 students to the low twenties. In just a few years his leadership has encouraged students to once again pursue music and strive to be the best.

During the fall the students compete in marching band competitions including the Apple Jack Festival (1st place the past three years) and in 2010 won 1st place in their division and third overall at the Harvest of Harmony parade in Grand Island Nebraska. This festival hosts over 100 high school marching bands  in one of the oldest high school marching band competitions in the Midwest, now going on 70 years.

Last year they were invited to march in the Washington DC, Memorial Day parade. It was quite the experience.

More videos on the band and choir can be viewed on my YouTube Channel, including their other piece The Lord of the Rings: Two Towers, A Symphonic Suite

Filed Under: Events, Small Town Living Tagged With: band, Elmwood-Murdock, high school, music, Nebraska, videos

Memorial Day Parade, Washington DC

August 10, 2010 by info@3QuartersToday.com

The students from Elmwood-Murdock High School march down Constitution Avenue in Washington DC for a once in a lifetime event they will never forget. They received the invitation because of the numerous awards they had won in marching band competitions such as Harvest of Harmony.

Record temperatures were recorded in Washington DC that weekend, and the black uniforms made it a challenge for the kids, but they endured over an hour of marching like troopers. Again, congratulations to everyone. For more information and pictures visit my original post on the Washington DC trip.

Filed Under: Events, Small Town Living, Travel Adventures Tagged With: band, Elmwood-Murdock, high school, marching band, memorial day, military, Nebraska, parade, travel, video, washington dc

The Arts Are Alive in a Small Nebraska Town

July 4, 2010 by info@3QuartersToday.com

I live in the small community of Elmwood–Murdock Nebraska. Really they are two separate towns, six miles apart, but we are a community that share together. We share a common culture, a choice for living outside of a metropolitan area (Omaha or Lincoln) and we share our children. No, not in the literal sense, but we share their accomplishments, and support of our youth. We don’t have a movie theatre, a shopping mall, or other “popular” activities, our social life and entertainment revolves around our school. This brings us together.

Our entire school district kindergarten through high school consists of approximately 425 students (depending on who moved this year) and the high school has on average 120 students total in grades 9-12. With that being said many would think we would have limited activities and little exposure to music and the arts. This couldn’t be further from the truth.

The Marching and Concert Band is 73 students strong. Almost a 70% participation rate and recently they marched in the National Memorial Day Parade in Washington DC. This is directly related to our band director, Mr. Michael Hansens’ dedication and talent who took a band of 25 students and grew it to a size rivaling the big city schools. They compete in several marching band competitions including Harvest of Harmony Parade, one of the oldest and biggest in the country, and because of their winning reputation received the invitation to Washington D.C. Take a look at them below. Yes we are proud.

In addition to the Marching and Concert Band is the high school choir, and in our school choir was cool before Glee was even on the air. In 2003 Mrs. Betty Colbert, the choir director started with 12 students and with her guidance it has grown to over 60 voices. Many were students with hidden talent that just needed to be coached and given confidence. They have gone on to win many contests winning superiors from all judges.

Their highest achievement was singing at Carnegie Hall in New York City in 2009. Although I can’t publish their crowning performance, here is a sample of why the whole community attends our concerts.

So now you can see why we are proud of our students, they perform sing at various events during the year and more of their performances can be found on my YouTube Channel

Community Links of Interest

Elmwood City-Data (pop 668)

Murdock City- Data (pop 264)

Elmwood-Murdock School District

Marching Through Adversity


Filed Under: Small Town Living Tagged With: arts, band, choir, country, music, Nebraska, rural america, small town

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