WCHS band performs at Cotton Bowl

The local band made the trip to Dallas, Texas to perform in the Cotton Bowl Parade on Dec. 31 and then during halftime of the fabled Cotton Bowl itself on New Year?s Day.

Based on awards and crowd reaction, rural Warren County made a big-city impact in Dallas.

?A lot of people like ?Rocky Top,?? said senior drummer Casey Bigford. ?They were singing the words as we marched down the street. It was awesome.?

?Rocky Top? and the theme song from the TV show ?Dallas? were the two songs the band played during the Cotton Bowl Parade. That performance earned Warren County a first-place parade award in its division. The Pioneers grabbed second place in concert band.

The parade, which made its way through downtown Dallas, was televised on Fox. While Farnham didn?t see the broadcast, he said parents have informed him that several Warren County band members were featured prominently on TV.

?It was definitely the experience of a lifetime,? said Farnham.

Over 1,600 band students from 12 bands participated in the parade and halftime performance.

?To come together at the Cotton Bowl and play with some students who are more talented than you, and to play in front of all those people, was amazing,? said Bigford.

The Cotton Bowl attendance, reported at 66,777, is far more people than the Warren County band is accustomed to playing for at halftime of Pioneer football games. Senior drummer Christopher Paris said the crowd didn?t bother him.

?I wasn?t nervous at all,? said Paris. ?If you think about it, playing with all those other bands means there are more people to cover up your mistakes if you happen to mess up.?

As for the game itself, Auburn emerged with a 17-14 victory over Nebraska. With all their obligations, the band got to see only the final 10 minutes of the game.

Band members arrived home late Tuesday night from the five-day trip that featured non-stop activity.

?I didn?t get a lot of sleep, that?s for sure,? said Bigford.