The Peoria Journal-Star has posted a few pictures from the Washington Marching Panther Invitational that took place earlier today at Washington Community High School. A handful of them have interesting cutlines, I think.
For the band at Washington Community, this year marked the 26th year they have hosted this competition, which also serves as the program’s biggest fundraiser. Director Jim Tallman, now in his 20th year as the director, told the Journal-Star he has always wanted to do a show with a Beatles theme.
In addition, an article was provided to accompany the photos, here. It said music included Copland and the Beatles and themes of the shows at the 16-band festival ranged from “Afflictions of War” to “Time 2 Dream” to “Phobias—What Are You Afraid Of?” to “On the Edge.”
Most of the schools performing at this marching band festival are located in central and western Illinois. Washington Community marched in exhibition, while the remaining bands competed for scores based on music performance, marching execution, and overall entertainment value.
Bands at the Marching Panther Invitational were grouped into classes based on the size of the band, not the enrollment at the school, as is common for many sports contests in Illinois.
Performing Bands
Class 1A
- Watseka Community
- Farmington
- ROWVA
- El Paso-Gridley
Class 2A
- Lincoln
- Tri-Valley
- Metamora
- Eureka
Class 3A
- Pekin Community
- Limestone Community
- Pontiac Township
Class 4A
- Canton
- Joliet West
- Morton
- Normal West