Grain Valley Marching Eagles attend festival, plan concert

For the second year in a row, the Grain Valley Marching Eagles closed out the month of October with a “Halloween” rehearsal Friday evening at which many band members wore costumes before taking part in a ‘Trunk or Treat’ hosted by the Band Parents Association. They then followed that Marching Eagle tradition up with what is becoming another tradition; a trip to Columbia, MO the next morning to participate in the Mizzou Champion of Champions marching festival at MU’s Faurot Field.

Competing in Class 4A, the Marching Eagles faced off against bands from Odessa, Fulton, Hillsboro and Republic, giving yet another inspired performance in placing second in their division. Following their routine, numerous members of the audience could be heard saying things along the lines of, “They are an incredible band!”

The first place finisher in each class, along with the top four additional scoring ensembles, went on to compete in the head to head final. At the end of the preliminary competitions, the color guard was awarded a caption award for fourth best auxiliary amongst the 29 schools, ranging from class 2A through 5AAA, in the competition.

The ensemble will close out the marching season, with the potential exception of the possibility of performances at football playoff games, this coming Thursday, November 5th as they present the annual “Sounds of Fall” concert at 7pm in the Grain Valley High School gymnasium. In addition to performances by the high school band and color guard, the 8th grade band will also be appearing.

Everyone is encouraged to attend and help the Marching Eagles celebrate a successful and eventful competition season with what will no doubt be yet another excellent performance by an ensemble which has been lauded by many as the “next up and coming” group in the marching band world.