MadisonJournalTODAY

Madison County and northeast Georgia residents will get in the Christmas spirit Saturday with an annual holiday tradition — the Comer Christmas Parade at 2 p.m.

And they’ll be treated to tunes by the nationally recognized award-winning Madison County High School Marching Band under the direction of Nicholas Golding, which has been selected to serve as the Grand Marshal for the parade.

The Madison County High School “Red Raider” Band is comprised of 77 instrumentalists, 23 colorguard members, three drum majors and six managers. Its primary purpose is to support the school system’s mission of graduating independent, productive citizens. Over the last five years, the program has experienced an unprecedented level of growth, in both size and quality.

Here is an overview of the MCHS band:

•MCHS Symphonic Band — The 77-member symphonic band is defined by the Georgia Performance Standards as a “Mastery” level band, meaning that it performs literature from highest difficulty classification. Since the 2008-2009 school year, the band has received nothing less than a rating of “superior” at its annual, state-sponsored performance evaluation. In addition, the symphonic band was recently selected to perform as a featured guest of the University of Georgia’s 63rd annual January High School Band Festival. In February, the band will also be a featured guest of the 36th annual University of South Carolina Band Clinic. These performances are among the highest honors for bands across the southeastern United States.
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The city of Colbert will hold its annual “Christmas in Colbert” on Friday, Dec. 7, 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. in downtown Colbert. [Full Story »]