GISH band enjoys State Fair performances

Performance and play ... plus the chance to have an excused absence from school.

That's what makes a marching band appearance at the Nebraska State Fair so much fun, according to several members of the Grand Island Senior High Marching Islander Band.

The Islanders, the largest band on Wednesday's schedule, performed twice, once in the late morning and again in the early afternoon.

The GISH band played and marched down the streets running through the State Fair grounds before arriving at its destination, the street in front of the food court.

There, diners and vendors alike could listen to the band perform a couple of numbers before it made a left face and started marching down the road again.

The brief parade pause and musical interlude gave band parents a great opportunity to take videos and snap photos.

After the first performance, Danielle Bartels, a mellophone player, and Erica Iversen, a baritone player, said coming to the State Fair is one of the more enjoyable trips of the marching band season.

"It's one of our favorite trips," said Bartels, who noted even the bus trip to Lincoln was fun.

"Everyone gets along real good," said Bartels, who noted that band is "like a big family."

Iversen said one of the gratifying aspects of performing at the State Fair is that there is a little more free time for students to enjoy themselves.

At most other performances during the season, the band is more focused on getting to the parade or field competition, which is typically judged. The band may get to stop somewhere for lunch, but has relatively little time to just enjoy one another's company.

It's different at the State Fair, where there are several hours between performances, giving the students more time to roam around the fairgrounds, enjoy the exhibits and get some fair food.

That informal atmosphere is emphasized by the fact that band members were dressed in jeans or khakis, with the only matching garb their purple Islander marching band shirts.

After they completed the morning routine, it was  a quick turnaround for the band members, who merely had to pack away their band instruments on the bus and walk back to the exhibit and vendor areas for entertainment.

With their purple shirts and large numbers, Islander students were highly visible at the State Fair on Wednesday.

Dressing informally was standard operating procedure for most of the high school bands that marched Wednesday. Only the Fort Calhoun marching band had all its members dress in regular band uniforms.

Marching at the Nebraska State Fair marked the second public performance for the Islander band.

Bartels said Premier Night was Sunday. That event was open to the public, but was heavily populated by parents.

She said performing at the Nebraska State Fair gives band members a chance to rehearse both their parade skills, as they march and play along the streets, and the music for their field routine.

She noted that is the beginning of the buildup toward the Harvest of Harmony Parade and field competition, as well as the Nebraska State Field Competition.

While it may seem strange to some people, Bartels and Iversen said, one of the highlights of performing at the State Fair is marching through "the tunnel," where the drum line's cadence reverberates off the walls and ceiling.

While Bartels and Iversen have been to the State Fair enough times to feel a bit of tradition in the experience, for freshman trumpeter Jamie Kirk, one of the biggest pluses of the day was simply an excused day off class in the middle of the school week.

Kirk had never been to the State Fair before. He said the chance to perform, then have some fun at the fair is "a nice setup."

When it was pointed out that the State Fair was coming to Grand Island in 2010, which would eliminate the bus trip to Lincoln and perhaps the possibility of an entire day off from school, Kirk seemed disappointed.

Of course, appearing at the Nebraska State Fair is not just a tradition for Senior High.

Northwest High School played at the State Fair on Saturday. That day does not give the advantage of getting off from school, but it does come with the benefit of appearing before a weekend crowd.

Other Central Nebraska high bands that have marched at the State Fair include Broken Bow, Hastings St. Cecilia, Gibbon, North Loup-Scotia, Fullerton and Hampton.

The Nebraska State Fair Web site proclaims that "The high school marching band program is one of the great, long-standing traditions of the Nebraska State Fair."

A concluding notation says, "This is a great opportunity for your band to demonstrate your musical talent as well as showcase your hard work and team effort."