West Virginia Strawberry Festival Grand Feature Parade

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Web: wvstrawberryfestival.com

Email: Todd Marcocci, Under The Sun Productions

If you're interested in entering your band in the WV Strawberry Festival Grande Feature Parade, please request an application from Todd Marcocci at the contact info above.

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The "Grand Feature Parade" is a centerpiece of the West Virginia Strawberry Festival in Buckhannon, WV. An amazing sum of $10,000 in prize money for marching bands is up for grabs in the parade competition (first place $5,000, second place $2,500, third place $1,500, fourth place $1,000).

The West Virginia Strawberry Festival kicked off in 1936 as a way to honor the region's strawberry growers and help them increase sales. The event has grown from a one-day celebration into a spectacular nine-day festival which now includes multiple parades, a carnival, children's activities and an abundance of strawberry treats.

Over the event's storied history, the Grand Feature Parade has drawn marching bands from 42 U.S. states, the District of Columbia, Mexico, Canada, the Virgin Islands, Jamaica, the Bahamas, Italy, Sweden and France. Visiting bands can take advantage of housing and meals on the campus of West Virginia Wesleyan College which is within walking distance of all festival events. After a band applies and is accepted through the Under the Sun Productions office, the festival band committee works with the band on trip details.

Buckhannon, WV, is located two hours south of Pittsburgh, PA, and four hours west of Washington, DC. The parade is televised live on CBS affiliate WDTV in West Virginia and Ohio, and is also streamed live online. More than 100,000 spectators line the 2.5-mile parade route.

A sample of some of the past winning bands in the Grand Feature Parade have included:
Avon High School Band, Indiana
Beverly High School Band, Massachusetts
Cheyenne East High School Band, Wyoming
Liberty High School Band, Pennsylvania
Lincoln High School Band, South Dakota
Live Oak High School Band, California
Maurice-Orange City High School Band, Iowa
... and the list goes on with top quality bands

• Seating along the parade route is free of charge.
• Tickets for the marching band field exhibition after the parade are $5 at the gate.

Bands traveling to West Virginia for the annual WV Strawberry Festival Grand Feature Parade can take advantage of numerous sites and attractions in Upshur County and the Buckhannon area, including:

• Mountain Rail Adventures - Scenic mountain excursions on historic trains.
• Jackson's Mill Farmstead - Boyhood home of Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson.
• Civil War Sites - Battlefields, landmarks and museums.
• Find more information about Buckhannon area attractions at VisitBuckhannon.org

Saturday, May 19, 2018 (Festival runs May 12-20, 2018)
Saturday, May 18, 2019 (Festival runs May 11-19, 2019)
Saturday, May 16, 2020 (Festival runs May 9-17, 2020)
Saturday, May 15, 2021 (Festival runs May 8-16, 2021)

(Events take place throughout the 9-day festival. The Grand Feature Parade is held on the date indicated.)

Web: wvstrawberryfestival.com

Email: Todd Marcocci, Under The Sun Productions

If you're interested in entering your band in the WV Strawberry Festival Grande Feature Parade, please request an application from Todd Marcocci at the contact info above.

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