Alabama was represented in the National Veterans Day Parade by the Cullman High School Bearcat Band.
The Sunday afternoon parade in the nation’s capital proceeded past sites and symbols of the nation’s history while playing patriotic marches.
Video of the Cullman High School Band in the Veterans’ parade below:
The Bearcat band has also performed in multiple nationally televised events over the years including: The McDonald’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in Chicago, the Nation’s Parade in New York City, the 6ABC Philadelphia Thanksgiving Day Parade, the Magnificent Mile Lights Festival Parade in Chicago, and the “Celebrate a Dream Come True” parade in the Magic Kingdom.
The band director is Christoper Smith, who is in his 25th year of teaching and his 22nd as a band director in the Cullman City School System.
He now conducts the marching band, symphonic band, jazz band, and pep band. Smith’s bands at Cullman have received multiple “Superior” ratings and “Best in Class” honors at marching band contests throughout the Southeast.
Smith was named Cullman High School’s Teacher of the Year and was also named Cullman City Schools Secondary Teacher of the Year for the 2021-2022 school year.
Smith graduated from Cullman High School and played in the Bearcat Band 30 years ago.
The musical ensembles at Cullman High for years included a German band. That is because Cullman has a strong German heritage and German descendants. Nowadays, alumni of The Cullman High German Band have formed “The Good Bellas” and play in the town’s annual OktoberFest. They include accordion, banjo, saxophone and tuba. Dancers can do the German polka.
A community tradition of German heritage in North Alabama.
Here’s an idea: The people of Cullman could raise the money and send the Good Bellas to Germany to play in the original international OctoberFest next year.
The band will next perform in Cullman’s annual Christkindlmarkt, a German Christmas market. It runs Nov. 20 through December 23, except for Thanksgiving Day, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Admission is free. Last year, there were 358,000 visitors.
Christkindlmarkt includes a 108-foot-tall Ferris wheel called “The Alpine of Alabama.”
Danke.
Jim Zig Zeigler is a contributing writer for Yellowhammer News. His beat includes the positive and colorful about Alabama – her people, events, groups and prominent deaths. He is a former State Auditor and Public Service Commissioner. You can reach him at [email protected]
