ROCHELLE — The Hub Marching Band has been chosen to represent the State of Illinois in the National Parks Service Parade of Heroes Nov. 10 and 11 in Washington, D.C.
Despite local concerns the parade was being cancelled, Rochelle Township High School band director Ron Duval said Friday that the trip is definitely still a go.
The Parade of Heroes is not affiliated with the military style parade postponed by the White House on Aug. 16.
“I want to assure everyone who has generously supported our fundraising drive,” Duval said. “We know generating $94,000 to take 120 student musicians and their chaperones to D.C.  has been an undertaking. We are proud to be a part of the Nationals Parks Service salute to our Veterans.”
“Parade of Heroes is an annual event held in Washington D.C. on Veterans Day week. This event features outstanding bands, choirs and JROTC cadets from around the country in a special tribute to our Veterans at the WWII, Korean War, and Vietnam War memorials,” according literature from the Historic Programs organization, an official commemorative partner of the Vietnam War Commemoration.

Over the past two decades, Historic Programs has produced countless events around the globe, which have been recognized by government officials and community organizations as the “most comprehensive and meaningful programs for participants and audiences alike.”
Every Historic Program “marks the time” by commemorating the past and celebrating the future.
Duval and company leave Rochelle Nov. 8 and arrive in D.C. Nov. 9. Time has been allotted for tours of national monuments like Ford’s Theater, the Capitol Building, National Zoo or Holocaust Museum.
On Saturday, Nov. 10, the marching band will participate in the Parade of Heroes in downtown Washington. The day will feature a ceremony and performances at the WWII, Korean and Vietnam War Memorials.  After lunch, the band can tour Arlington National Cemetery, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, the Kennedy gravesites, Robert E. Lee memorial, the Challenger Space Shuttle Crew Memorial.
On Veterans Day, Saturday, November 11, the band will perform at the Marine Corps Memorial (Iwo Jima) in tribute to the WWII Veterans.  They will tour attractions like the Air and Space Museum, Natural History Museum, American History Museum, National Gallery of Art, and the National Archives before dining at the Pentagon City Mall. Dinner will be followed by a tour of Washington by Night which features the Washington Monument, memorials to Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Abraham Lincoln, Albert Einstein as well as the Vietnam, Korean and WWII Memorials.
Sunday, Nov. 12 is a morning at the White House Visitor Center and sightseeing before boarding the bus for home.
“I hope that I have conveyed enough information to allay any concerns,” Duval said.
The Hub Marching Band will perform Sunday in the 1 pm Lincoln Highway Heritage Festival to the songs that will be performed at the Parade of Heroes. Stop by the RTHS Music Booster table at the Lincoln Highway Heritage Festival this weekend where you can purchase car raffle tickets to support the trip.
The boosters have 300 more $50 raffle tickets to sell for your choice of a 2018 Chevrolet Cruze or Trax which will be awarded during halftime of the RTHS Football homecoming game Sept. 28. Only 1,000 tickets are being sold. The boosters will also have Our Town Our Band signs for sale.