The first day of October this year provides you the opportunity to attend one of four Scholastic Competitions (or, if you’re like Newaygo or DeWitt, more than one). This weekend’s competitions and start times are: Cedar Springs’ Red Flannel Invitational at 8:00am; Hastings at 11:45am; Gull Lake at 12:55pm; and Chippewa Valley at 4:00pm.
Red Flannel Invitational
As part of the Red Flannel Festival, Cedar Springs plays host to the Red Flannel Invitational. 15 bands perform in competition, with an additional 3 bands performing under MSBOA sheets (Greenville, Tri-County, and Mona Shores). The Cedar Springs 8th Grade Band opens the day at 8:00am. Bands who signed up for the Invitational were invited to attend the following parade, which starts at 3:00pm in downtown Cedar Springs (only a few blocks away from the Stadium). If you’re looking to experience an unique Michigan festival, we encourage you to attend the following parade. Cedar Springs’ High School is located at 204 E Muskegon Street Northeast, and a full lineup can be found here.
Hastings
Hastings hosts 16 bands in competition at their stadium. The high school is located at 520 West South Street in Hastings. We find it very unique that Hasting’s satellite view (on Google Maps) was taken during the Winter – look at how pristine those snow filled fields look! Don’t worry, though – you won’t have to worry about snow this weekend. Hasting’s 10 Day Weather forecast predicts Saturday to be Sunny in the mid- to high-50s. A full schedule of Hasting’s competition can be located here.
Gull Lake
The Gull Lake Scholastic Invitational begins at 12:55pm, with Lakewood taking the field in Class C competition at 1:00. 12 bands perform at Gull Lake, with Class C performing first – awards for Class C are at approximately 2:15pm. Class D starts at 2:30, followed by A and B, with awards for D, A, and B at 5:00pm. It is very important that we mention that the Gull Lake Invitational takes place at the Gull Lake Middle School, where the stadium is located. The address is 9550 East M-89 in Richland. We know that Adult tickets are $7, Students and Seniors are $5 each, Children under 5 are free, and there is a family ticket available for $20 (2 adults + children). For a full line up of the performance schedule, check out this page.
Chippewa Valley
Last, but not least, we have Chippewa Valley starting at approximately 3:45pm. Roseville steps off in competition at 4:00pm. 5 bands perform at Chippewa Valley, including Roseville, SCS Lake Shore, Gibraltar Carlson, Eisenhower, and Chippewa Valley. While this will be a small competition, if you are looking to enjoy marching bands, you may want to consider attending this invitational. Sometimes the smaller competitions have a more relaxed air about them and seem to be more about the bands having the opportunities to perform, rather than compete against one another. Chippewa Valley is located at 18300 19 Mile Road in Clinton Township. A full line up can be found here.
If you’re wondering why the small competition, we have attempted to speculate based upon the number of competitions in East Michigan this weekend (Chippewa Valley in SMB, and Woodhaven in MCBA) that there is a large number of Homecoming Formals occurring Saturday. Do not fret though, as the bands who are performing this weekend are sure to provide just as interesting and entertaining shows as you’ve come to expect.