Strike up the band: Pebblebrook heads to Big Easy for Sugar Bowl contest
Dec. 29—Pebblebrook High School's marching band is headed south to New Orleans for one of college football's marquee matchups this weekend.
The Mighty Marching Machine is one of the bands invited to play the Sugar Bowl contest between Alabama and Kansas State. Led by Director Eulas Kirtdoll, the band is performing in both the parade and game Saturday afternoon.
The band reported on Facebook Thursday they'd loaded up their buses before dawn (call time was 4 a.m.) to make the trek down south. Later that day, they said they'd arrived safely in the Big Easy and were gearing up for Saturday's showcase after performing at Jackson Square downtown.
After fundraising for months in the lead-up to the weekend, the band was helped along by a $15,000 donation from Atlanta's Witherite Law Group.
"Despite the challenges they may face, our students are resilient and dedicated. They've worked extremely hard and deserve this opportunity to perform on the national stage, as well as to enjoy the sights and sounds of New Orleans," Kirtdoll told MDJ news partner Fox 5 Atlanta last week.
This isn't the school's first rodeo on the national stage. In 2018, the band trekked to Chicago to perform in the city's Thanksgiving parade.
The parade will be held Friday, processing down Decatur Street along New Orleans' French Quarter and ending at Canal Street. Broadcast of the 2:30 p.m. procession will be on New Orleans' WDSU-TV.
The Sugar Bowl, meanwhile, will kick off at 12 p.m. Saturday and be broadcast on ESPN.
