Source: Frank Tracz, 785-532-3818, ftracz@k-state.edu
News release prepared by: Nellie Ryan, 785-532-6415, media@k-state.edu

Monday, Sept. 21, 2009

THE K-STATE MARCHING BAND TO WELCOME 2,000 STUDENTS FROM ACROSS KANSAS FOR BAND DAY 2009

MANHATTAN -- The Kansas State University Marching Band will host 2,000 junior high and high school students from across the state at Band Day, Saturday, Sept. 26.

"Band Day is everyone's favorite day," said Frank Tracz, director of the K-State Marching Band. "It is a very long, hectic day, but the kids love it, and it is a great recruiting tool."

The day kicks off with a community parade at 9 a.m. The parade begins in Triangle Park in Aggieville, turns left on Moro Street, then right on 11th Street and continues to Poyntz Avenue where it marches east toward the Manhattan Town Center Mall.

The main event of Band Day is the halftime performance at the K-State vs. Tennessee Tech football game, which is set for a 1:10 p.m. kickoff. The K-State Marching Band will lead the 27 junior high and high school bands onto the field to play along with the U.S. Army's First Infantry Division Marching Band. Together the bands will perform various patriotic tunes, including "God Bless America," "Army Song" and "Stars and Stripes Forever."

The band allocates 2,000 tickets for band day participants, and Tracz said each year he has no problem using every last ticket.

"There are some schools that as soon as we announce band day enrollment, they fill their forms out right away to make sure they get on the list," Tracz said. "For a lot of the bands, especially the smaller ones, it is really a big deal to come to Manhattan and step on K-State's field to perform at halftime. It's a great experience."

The following schools will be participating in K-State's Band Day:

Northern Heights in Allen, Anderson County, Atchison, Augusta, Axtell, Baileyville-B&B, Ell-Saline, Ellsworth, Fairfield, Great Bend, Southeast of Saline in Gypsum, Horton, Junction City, Thunder Ridge in Kensington, Lincoln, Smoky Valley in Lindsborg, Linn, Manhattan, Marysville, Ness City, Nickerson, Parsons, Perry-Lecompton, Pretty Prairie, Riley County, Troy and Valley Falls.