Parents, grandparents, siblings, staff and fans lined one side of Gladys Alexander Drive Tuesday morning, Nov. 8, 2022, to show support and encouragement for the Sulphur Springs Wildcat Band with a big send-off for the musicians who are traveling Tuesday morning to San Antonio.
The Wildcat Band is scheduled to compete Nov. 9, 2022, against the best marching bands in Texas at the 2022 State Marching Band Championships. The Sulphur Springs students are slated to take the field at 10:45 a.m. Wednesday in the 4A Preliminary Round. If they score high enough from the judges, the Wildcat Band will advance to the next round of competition, where they hope to finish atop the list of finalists competing.
The Wildcat Band Tuesday morning met before classes started to line up at Sulphur Springs High School. They then made a round, marching before their peers, who cheers and clapped for them, a nice salute for the students’ accomplishments this year.
The students proceeded down the sidewalk, turning in front of the bus lane, where families, staff, friends and supporters clapped, cheered and played music to encourage the Wildcat musicians. The students then returned to the band hall to receive last instructions and collect their belongings and find out their seating assignments.
The students then proceeded to music, cheers and claps outside to the three Continental Touring Solutions charter buses parked in the bus driveway in front of the school, ready to carry the students in style to the state contest.
After all were loaded, Hopkins County Sheriff’s Office, Sulphur Springs and Hopkins County firefighters escorted the Wildcat procession from the SSHS parking lot, where even more supporters had joined the group lining Gladys Alexander Drive. Many wore shirts proclaiming them proud parents or band supporters and held balloons, posters, wooden signs, pompoms and noisemakers to cheer the students as their bus passed.
As the buses departed from the school, the SSISD band instructors fired up the big rig and customized trailer and truck with box trailer filled with the instruments, props and uniforms the SSHS Band (which includes a few eighth graders) will need for their performance Wednesday. They then rounded the corner and joined in behind the charter buses to begin the journey Tuesday morning to San Antonio and the state marching competition.
Afterward, many who brought balloons released them, a colorful send-off for the students who they hope will soar to new personal achievements performing the “Come Fly With Us” routine.
