The Knox High School marching band had quite a busy Memorial Day weekend. After completing and submitting the nomination form sent by Purdue University, the Knox marching band was selected to march in the Indy 500 parade. Saturday evening head band director Craige Phipps hosted a “lock-in” at the high school, where students had a chance to swim and play basket ball, but most importantly rest up for their endeavor the following day. Band members left the high school around 2 am on Sunday in order to make the trek.
Phipps shared the excitement of the experience once they arrived on the scene. The band received a police escort into the track, got everything ready to go and then we marched a parade on the two and half mile surface that the cars race on. The students marched across the yard of bricks, had their names announced their picture put up on the big screen TVs that are stationed around the track. After that they were given a box lunch and got to go into the stands and watch the race
Phipps explained the intensity didn’t end there, “What made it even crazier, was the very next day we had to come all the way back here to do the Knox Memorial Day parade. So it was a pretty long weekend.”
This was the third time the Knox marching band shared the track with the NASCAR drivers. It first happened in 2002 and then again in 2009. Phipps says he leaves it up to the band members to decide whether or not to march in the event but based on the positive responses from students he expects to return next year for the 100th Indy 500 race.
