Carroll to play at Purdue Band Day

Carroll Jr.-Sr. High School will be one of 26 marching bands from Indiana and Ohio to help the Purdue "All-American" Marching Band accomplish its goal of flooding Ross-Ade Stadium with color and musical pageantry on "All-American" Band Day, Sept. 16.

Look for the Ball State Cardinals to be far outnumbered that Saturday - and not just by Boilermakers. Cavaliers, Cougars, Panthers, Blackhawks, Bearcats, Red Devils, Tigers, Zebras, Apaches, Thunderbirds and more will fill the stadium as more than 1,600 musicians and auxiliary members pack the annual Purdue event.

Popular film music - the "Overture" from "Cars," and themes from "Mission

Impossible" and "Pirates" of the Caribbean will fill the massed band show at halftime.

Prior to the game, guest conductor Paul Lavender will bring all the bands together for a final rehearsal to finesse the sound before entering Ross-Ade Stadium.

Max Jones, who brings three decades of marching band experience to his new position as assistant director of the Purdue "All-American" Marching Band, knows the impact Band Day has on high school students.

"The thrill of being around a college band is very exciting for high school kids," said the veteran director. "Then you factor in performing alongside thousands of other musicians in the center of a packed 69,000-seat Big 10 stadium."

Many of the bands attending don't participate in competitions so they look forward to the camaraderie that comes with Band Day, Jones said.

"You get to see other bands, and meet other kids, and be a part of something bigger than yourself. That's what band is all about."

Along with the stadium concerts, the Purdue band also presents "Thrill on the Hill," a concert and pep rally at 10:30 a.m. at Slayter Center on Sept. 16, and invites fans to follow them back to the Engineering Mall fountain following the game for its final performance of game day and the traditional drum major breakdown.