The Pride is back-in Pasadena

Ruth Brown

Ruth Brown

SDSU’s Pride of the Dakotas is making a trip across the country to make some noise for an audience of more than one million people lined up on the streets of Pasadena, Calif.

A few more than 350 members of The Pride will play in the parade. With the band, the chaperones and the staff included, the group will consist of a little over 600 people, said Jim McKinney, director of bands at SDSU.

The band will march a 5.5-mile parade route starting at Ellis Street and Orange Grove Boulevard and ending at Sierra Madre and Villa Street.

The Pride will play a number of songs while marching down the streets of Pasadena. With the crowds cheering, the energy will be really great, said Jeannie Manzer, of SDSU’s university relations.

“The last time I went, we saw people who had camped out on the streets for days just to see the parade,” said Manzer. “It was a lot of fun to see so many people come out.”

The streets of Pasadena are not the only place The Pride will play. The group will also play in Band Fest at Pasadena City College as well as the Santa Monica Pier and Disneyland.

“Band Fest is a competition in which we will actually play something similar to a half-time show,” said McKinney. “We will play a few songs while performing.”

The Pride will play at the Santa Monica Pier for people along the beach and those who are walking. The people on the pier who are shopping and passing by will get to hear the band play. It is a lot of fun to watch, said Manzer.

The band will also march through the streets around Disneyland. They will be there just to entertain the people around them while performing a show and it should be exciting, said Manzer.

Even though the band will spend a great deal of time practicing and performing, they will also be able to enjoy some fun events.

“I am really excited about it. It’s a once in a lifetime experience,” said Caitlin Werner, a clarinet player in The Pride and a sophomore biology major. “I’m a little nervous because there will be so many people watching, but the site-seeing should be really fun.”

They will enjoy the beach of Costa Mesa, Newport and attend “The Glory of Christmas” at the Crystal Cathedral. They will also get to enjoy dinner and a show at Medieval Times as well as some free time on their own at Disneyland.

The band will have free time at Santa Monica Pier, take a tour of Hollywood and later have a celebratory dinner and dance aboard the Queen Mary. Last but not least, they will enjoy the excitement at Sea World and the fun of Seaport Village in San Diego.

“We are really grateful that we can do this; it was really a group effort,” said McKinney. “Thanks to all of the donations we have received, we are able to participate in this and have a lot of fun.”

#1.882993:1144129683.jpg:the pride.jd.jpg:The Pride of the Dakotas marching band is ready to put on a show in Pasadena.:John Dahmen