On Saturday Oct. 4 the Mount Vernon marching band competed at the local Prairie High School football field. All 147 marching band members were present to compete. The Mount Vernon marching band had three other competitions before they competed at Prairie High School and they were feeling good coming into this competition despite the heat. 

Heat was really taking a toll on the band, and they even considered marching without uniforms due to how hot it was. In the end they decided to march without uniforms said senior band member Nolan Pownell.

The band was feeling “really good” according to band director Scott Weber, but it was hot with a much appreciated breeze and they “played well” despite having a few issues with the electronics.

Leading up to the competition, Weber was “stressed about full uniforms” because of the high heat of 86 degrees bringing new challenges to the band and giving unpredictable outcomes. He was also nervous about how the band would handle tempos and movements due to such heat. Despite all of the struggles the band had to fight, Weber believes they still handled weather and wind well and they played strong and looked good. Weber said to improve, the band can “listen to judge tapes and take suggestions from band members.”

The Marching Mustangs normally place in the top three at the Prairie Competition, and this year it placed third with a score of 84.6 points.