This year’s Marching Showband Classic will be “timeless,” says the director of the Red Deer Community Band Society.
More than 600 performers and about 2,000 attendees are expected for the annual show at the Lindsay Thurber Comprehensive High School sports field this Sunday from 1 to 3 p.m.
Michael Mann, director of the society and the Red Deer Royals, said members of the local marching band are looking forward to performing in front of friends and family.
“This is our hometown show and everyone’s very excited. Sometimes, family can’t make it to other events because they’re in Calgary or elsewhere.
“It’s very exciting and will be very fun to watch. It’s a great afternoon for everybody – there will be lots of auction items, food trucks,” said Mann.
The Royals, as well as bands from across Alberta, including four competitive marching bands out of Calgary, will perform this Sunday.
“This is a great time to show what Red Deer can offer. We always get positive feedback from the (visiting) bands … about how welcoming and organized we are,” he said.
The Royals’ 2019 field show is called Timeless.
“Each year, our staff gets together and we talk about ideas, and this is our 50th anniversary,” he said.
“We picked it to express the idea that the Royals and the bands in Red Deer have been around for 50 years, which is a long period of time, I suppose, and because marching band is something we can call timeless.”
A poem by Henry Van Dyke was a big inspiration for the show, said Mann.
“The poem says, ‘Time is too slow for those who wait, too swift for those who fear, too long for those who grieve, too short for those who rejoice. But for those who love, time is not.’
“We took that … and based the show around that idea.”
Mann said many hours have gone into preparing for the show.
“The marching band started (practising) the music in January and we’ve been rehearsing steadily since then,” he said.
After performing in the Westerner Days Parade, the Royals will travel to the United Kingdom to compete in an event in Ireland this summer.
For more information on the Red Deer Community Band Society, visit www.reddeerroyals.com.
sean.mcintosh@reddeeradvocate.com
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