HSHS hosts first Marching Invitational

The Sentinel-Record/Mara Kuhn SPA CITY TROJANS: The Hot Springs Marching Trojan Band opened the first Spa City Marching Invitational Tuesday at Reese Memorial Stadium. Hot Springs World Class High School welcomed more than 1,150 students and guests from 15 schools.
The Sentinel-Record/Mara Kuhn SPA CITY TROJANS: The Hot Springs Marching Trojan Band opened the first Spa City Marching Invitational Tuesday at Reese Memorial Stadium. Hot Springs World Class High School welcomed more than 1,150 students and guests from 15 schools.

Hot Springs World Class High School welcomed an estimated 1,150-plus students and guests on Tuesday for the first Spa City Marching Invitational at Reese Memorial Stadium.

More than 840 students from 15 schools and several hundred spectators attended the event Tuesday. The Trojan Band Parents Organization hosted the event and a fundraiser with plans to hold a second annual competition in 2018.

Lauren Russell, director of bands for the Hot Springs School District, said 94 students perform this year in the Hot Springs Marching Trojan Band. Hot Springs performed to open the competition, but did not compete. The band only received comments from the judges.

The three judges were J.P. Wilson, director of bands for Southern Arkansas University; Sarah Mickey, assistant director of SAU Bands; and Gary Meggs, recently retired director of bands for the University of Arkansas at Monticello. Meggs was inducted into the Four States Bandmasters Association Hall of Fame in January.

Area schools with marching bands who earned First Division in the Spa City Marching Invitational were Bismarck, Centerpoint and Glen Rose. Other bands to receive First Division were Benton Harmony Grove, Little Rock Central, Lonoke, Perryville, West Memphis and White Hall.

West Memphis won the Judges Choice for Outstanding Band of the Day. Benton Harmony Grove won the Judges Choice for both Outstanding Colorguard and Outstanding Percussion.

Area schools with bands who scored Second Division were Cutter Morning Star and Magnet Cove. Dumas, Foreman and Hope were also Second Division.

Russell said the Trojan Band Parents Organization held a fabulous event. The Trojan Band will leave this afternoon for the 29th annual West Memphis Marching Classic.

Hot Springs is scheduled to compete Oct. 21 in the Championship at the Rock at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock. The Trojan Band will perform Oct. 24 in the Arkansas School Band and Orchestra Association's Region II Marching Assessment at Lakeside High School's Austin Field. The band will return to War Memorial on Oct. 31 if it qualifies for the ASBOA State Marching Assessment.

Local on 10/13/2017

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