Pasadena, California, here we come

by Logan Watson

Members of the Gibson County Mass Band boarded planes Monday morning bound for Pasadena, Calif. and a world-wide audience as part of the 2022 Rose Parade this Saturday. The Mass Band is comprised of band members from Gibson County High School, Humboldt Jr./Sr. High School, Milan High School, Peabody High School and South Gibson County High School.

The group left out bright and early shortly after 6 a.m. from Peabody High School on chartered buses for the week-long event, with a police escort all the way to Memphis International Airport. The band landed at Los Angeles International Airport around 1 p.m. PST.

The Mass Band will rehearse Tuesday morning, then spend the rest of the day visiting the Santa Monica Pier, Pacific Park and Hollywood. On Wednesday, band members will get to visit Disneyland and perform in a parade along Main Street USA inside the park.

The Mass Band will perform at the Bandfest marching competition on Thursday, then visit Knott’s Berry Farm on Friday before performing in the 2022 Rose Parade on Saturday in front of millions of viewers on tv.

The parade is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. and will be televised on ABC, the Hallmark Channel, NBC, RFD TV and Univision. The Mass Band is in the 79th position in the parade, coming just after a float for the Emmy-winning competition series “The Masked Singer” and ahead of 71-time Rose Parade veteran Odd Fellows & Rebekahs and the world-famous Budweiser Clydesdales. With only 86 entries in the parade, the Mass Band will be close to the end of the two-hour broadcast.

Band members worked for weeks to prepare for the 6-mile march along the parade route, as well as the Bandmasters field show performance. The Gibson County Mass Band will perform a medley of Rocky Top, Walking in Memphis and the Tennessee Waltz during the parade.