Local bands to participate in KU Band Day

Washington and Wyandotte high schools are planning to participate in the 67th annual KU Band Day on Saturday, Sept. 20, at the University of Kansas, Lawrence.

Thirty high school bands from Kansas and Missouri are participating in the event.

For the halftime show, the KU bands will join the visiting high school bands to perform songs including “I’m a Jayhawk,” “Stand Up and Cheer,” “Kansas Song,” “Fighting Jayhawk” and “Patriotic Finale,” composed by Robert Foster, former KU director of bands.

The halftime performance will be conducted by Paul Popiel, director of bands; Matthew O. Smith, associate director of bands and director of the Marching Jayhawks, and Sharon Toulouse, assistant director of bands. The performance also will feature guest conductors and former KU band directors Foster and Thomas Stidham.

The traditional KU Band Day Parade, with all participating bands and the KU Marching Jayhawks, will begin at 9 a.m. on Massachusetts Street in downtown Lawrence. The KU vs. Central Michigan University football game will follow with a 2:30 p.m. kickoff time.

There is a special ticket package for friends and family of participating bands, at kutickets.com.