Carroll Band Days 2024

By Kelsey J.

We had been preparing for this competition for two weeks. We were ready. But, there was still that sense of nerves in the air. We could all feel it, no matter how tired we were. It was Saturday, October 5th, and it was the day of the Carroll Band Days. We woke up early that morning to load the buses and the trailer. It was a mad dash to make sure we had everything. We checked, and double checked to make sure that we had all that we needed. Then we all made sure we were on the bus and made our way to Carrol.

Most people just slept on the bus or listened to music. We had to focus on what was ahead of us. The flag girls hurried to make sure all of their makeup and hair was complete. It was a very calm bus ride. 

Then when we got to Carroll, we unloaded at Adams Elementary School where we could use the restroom and get dressed and ready for the performance. We first got all dressed, girls first then the guys. After that we helped to unload the trailer. We got the larger instruments off first and then so on. Lastly, we had to get the hats off the trailer and distribute them to everyone. We did have to wait for a while to begin tuning. While we waited we just chatted with each other and just found ways to pass the time. After a while, we walked to our designated street where we would line all up.

When we finally got all the way over to our spot in the parade, we all stepped off and just had to wait for the floats ahead of us to get going. It was a lot of waiting before we got to go. Finally after about 15 minutes of intense, stress-filled waiting, we were off.

It was so hot throughout the whole day. And after we stepped off it just got that much harder. With our eyes filled with pride, and our smiles bigger than they had ever been before, the sweat was sure dripping down. In our uniforms, marching, and playing it was sure a heat wave. We didn’t let that stop us from doing our absolute best. 

About 3/4 through the parade is where the judges table sits. That's when the real show began. We had to push through that final stretch to win that 1st place trophy, and not just the one over the 2A bands but the overall trophy. So we buckled in, played our parade selection for the very last time, and put on a performance of a lifetime. 

After finishing the parade it was a mad dash to get rehydrated. We had a very short water break before performing our field moves. We entered the field and played a selection of songs that we had rehearsed what felt like a million times. The only problem was that it was really windy. We had music flying out left and right, flags being whipped through the air, and people about to blow over! We made it through with an exceptional performance. After that we waited for the results to get in. 

First it was the winner of the classes. Roland-Story was awarded the class 2A overall trophies. Then it was the time that everyone had waited for… the overall performance trophy. All the air felt like it had gotten sucked out of the air when we waited for it. But finally they read it off. “And the overall Band of the Carroll Band Days 2024 is…Roland-Story High School. Congratulations!” That was it. We had won. We took our picture to remember that moment forever, and we could return the trophy back to the high school. And just like that, we had done it, we had won. 

Location: Carroll, IA 51401, USA

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