DeRaads feel honored to contribute to Marching Classic

Dale and Cindy DeRaad will be near the front of the Marching Classic parade in Waseca on Sept. 20 as this year’s grand marshals, but it wouldn’t be surprising if they spend part of their time looking over their shoulders to check on their “usual” places.

 

The Marching Classic parade will begin at noon Sept. 20 in downtown Waseca. Organizers share that about 100 units will be taking part, including nine high school bands competing in the “marching” section of the day-long competition, special guests the Maverick Machine Drumline from Minnesota State University Mankato, and the Waseca Marching Jays performing in exhibition.

 

The parade will start in the parking lot of the city public safety building, travel north on State Street, and turn in at Trowbridge Park.

 

The DeRaads can list off quite a range of tasks volunteers like themselves perform for the parade and the Classic in general. And while they feel honored to be recognized for their contributions, they say it is just as much an honor to be able to contribute as part of the volunteer team.

 

Dale got an early start with the event, having served as a member of the Waseca Chamber of Commerce “band festival” committee back in the 1980s. He says he felt then, as he feels now, that the Marching Classic is something Waseca can be proud of. Not only is it a well organized, exciting source of entertainment, it provides opportunities for young musicians to show off their skills to friends and family members. At the same time, it brings considerable economic stimulus to area businesses and organizations.

 

“It’s a good thing for everybody,” he states enthusiastically.

 

Dale’s “usual” place in the parade the past few years has been driving the ranger that carries the event mascot “Spat Man.” Back nearer the event’s beginning, Dale served as a “timing judge.” He says he fired a pistol at certain points in each field performance to indicate when specific parts of the judging should start and end. He was also part of the team which tallied results back in the paper-and-pencil days of scorekeeping–working under pressure to total up scores, so the various awards could be announced in as timely a way as possible.

 

Cindy’s usual place takes a bit longer to describe, mostly because it seems to be many places at once. Her list includes anything from fetching doughnuts for the hospitality room provided to directors and judges, to making sure people selling admission wristbands for the 5:30 field show competition later in the day have everything they need. She explains volunteers circulate among the parade audience selling the wristbands for $8 each; admission cost is $10 at the gate of the high school football field.

 

Event organizer Mary Williams simplifies the explanation, saying Cindy “helps anywhere she’s needed–for the entire day!”

 

Cindy agrees with Dale’s assessment that the Classic brings the Waseca area many benefits. She points out it also lets visitors see the way the community pulls together to accomplish good things. With this being the event’s thirty-eighth year, she mentions it is now very much a tradition near and dear to many hearts.

 

They themselves are a three-generation band family: Dale remembers his participation as a trumpet player in the Ellendale High School band offered him camaraderie, fun, and a sense of being part of something bigger than himself. The couple’s daughter Michelle, a 1999 Waseca High School graduate, played the clarinet. Their granddaughter Jayda DeRaad graduated in 2021 after being part of the band program for four years, also as a clarinet player.

 

The couple feels emphatically that the discipline, cooperation and camaraderie of being band members help young musicians develop self-confidence and integrity. “It’s good for them in many, many ways,” summarizes Cindy.

 

Thus, whether as grand marshals or as volunteers, Dale and Cindy DeRaad say they are proud, and even grateful, to be part of the Marching Classic. “It’s good for the community, it’s good for the kids, and it’s a lot of fun for everyone,” said Dale.