Rosemount Band, State Fair Champ, Gets New Look this Week

The Rosemount High School Marching Band, which is headed to California at the start of 2014 for the annual Tournament of Roses Parade, has raised enough funding for the band to receive new uniforms for the season and trip. 

The school made the announcement late last week that band members would need to stop by school offices Tuesday and Wednesday for fittings. 

The band also learned that, for the fifth consecutive year, the Rosemount HS Marching Band has earned the Grand Champion award from the Minnesota State Fair.

Out of 41 high school marching bands that performed in daily parades during the 10 day-long state fair, the Rosemount HS Marching Band earned the highest overall score, and the first place trophy. 

Bands marched during the daily parade during the fair's run. That was usually during record breaking heat, as this year's fair will go down as one of the hottest ever recorded.  

In November, the Rosemount High School Marching Band learned it had been selected to be one of only 12 high school bands from across the globe to march in the 125th Rose Parade in 2014. It was the culmination of a two-year selection process. Rosemount Marching Band had applied for selection several times before, but this will be the band’s first trip to the famous event.

Olsen is one of three RHS band directors, along with Leon Sieve and Bo Hoover. The three directors are in Pasadena through today, attending meetings and watching the parade in preparation for Rosemount’s trip next year. An estimated U.S. audience of 47 million people and an estimated international audience of more than 300 million in some 220 countries watch this event every year on television.

The marching band has done very well on the national competition circuit for the last eight years, Olsen said. This success earned the attention of prominent people in the marching band competition world and led to the band’s selection.

Fitting information for band parents and members

  -Tuesday, Sept. 10, 4-9pm
  -Wednesday, Sept. 11, 4-9pm
*Each appointment will take 30 min’s
*Uniform fitting will occur in the PAC Lobby
*Student must bring in OLD Uniform (in garment bag) & OLD Shako
*Each student MUST bring your MARCHING SHOES!
*While at the appointment - each student will TRY ON the NEW UNIFORM (while wearing marching shoes) so we can adjust & optimize for proper fit
*New Uniforms will be kept at home during the marching band season
*The uniforms will be debuted at the Home and Garden Show Saturday afternoon.