Marching Band

Fourth of July Parade -- Saturday, July 4, 2026

Rehearsal in the Clarke MS/HS Band Room -- 9:00 AM

The 7th and 8th grade band members and the high school band members will combine to form one large band for the Fourth of July Parade! All 7-12 band members who are in town for the holiday will meet at 9:00 AM in the band room on Saturday, July 4, 2026. Students will rehearse the school song and line up in parade formation. After a brief practice, band members will ride school buses to the town square for the performance. The parade begins at 10:00 AM.

Mrs. Stortenbecker understands that band members may want to participate in other activities or floats in the parade. She asks that students march with the band first and then go back to join other groups. The band is always near the very beginning of the parade, so AFTER performing with the band, students may go back to join other parade floats or activities. This has worked well in the past because the parade is so long. The people in the community look forward to seeing the band! Because so many band members are involved, participants have a lot of fun!  

Following the parade, the buses will bring band members back to school by 10:30 AM. Students are welcome to leave directly from the parade, but they need to be responsible in getting their personal instruments home. They may want to leave their instrument cases at home, so that they do not need to return to school at all. Please be aware that the school will be locked by noon. Percussion instruments and patriotic flags need to be returned to school immediately following the performance.

All band members should wear blue jeans or blue shorts, along with a white shirt. The white shirt may have writing or pictures on it, as long as the design is appropriate for school. Also, students should wear tennis shoes, since it is extremely challenging to march in sandals, flip-flops, or boots. Band members are welcome to wear sunglasses and hats if they would like. If students need to be in special costumes for other floats in the parade, then those outfits are perfectly acceptable, too.

Band members should let Mrs. Stortenbecker know if they are not going to be at the parade. She understands that some people go out of town for the holiday and won’t be around to march. If students are in town for the holiday, then she asks that they participate with the band. Please contact Mrs. Stortenbecker with any questions.   

Clarke School Song - Click on the play button below to hear the recording.

Fourth of July Parade 2022

Fourth of July Parade 2021

Fourth of July Parade 2019