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The show must go on

Pride of the Southland Band to perform in Inaugural Parade Friday Libby Dayhuff Contributor

The Pride of the Southland Band will be marching to its own beat in the upcoming presidential inauguration as it moves through Washington, D.C. The band was chosen to represent Tennessee and will march in the Inaugural Parade on Jan. 20. This will be the band’s 15th time march-

Volume 133 Issue 1

ing in the parade, and they’ve marched in 12 out of the past 13 elections. Having begun performing at the event in 1953, The Pride of the Southland band has played in every inaugural parade except for the 1961 show for John F. Kennedy and the 2013 show for Barack Obama. The band applied to play in October, before the election results were known, and was accepted on Dec. 21. Since the official marching season is over, participation in the event is voluntary. “For those of us who were privileged to

have the opportunity to march in an inaugural parade, it was a once-in-a-lifetime experience and a highlight of our college experience. That is true regardless of whether or not we voted for the incoming president,” Joe Christian, president of the Alumni Band Council, said in a statement to The Daily Beacon. “Our priority as members of the band has always been to represent our organization, our University, and our State to the best of our ability.” UT is one of four colleges that have agreed to send their bands to perform, and each has experienced some opposition. People have

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expressed their concerns with the band attending the event through emails, phone calls and social media. Petitions were also created to stop UT’s band from playing in the parade. The largest petition was started on Jan. 1, the day after it was announced that the band would play in the Inaugural Parade. It has approximately 3,700 signatures so far, which is more than creator Scott Lillard expected it to have. See INAUGURAL PARADE on Page 3

Wednesday, January 18, 2017


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