The Circle City Classic weekend,
held the first weekend in October, is an event
that's grown exponentially since its
inauguration in 1983.
At its core is a football game between teams
from traditionally black colleges, with a band contest
between the schools' bands during the half-time.
From these events add on the CCC Parade
and a schedule that includes a plethora of pageants,
clinics, concerts, luncheons and breakfasts.
These pictures are from the Circle City Classic
Pep Rally, featuring the marching bands
of the Central Kentucky University Thoroughbreds
from Frankfort, Kentucky, and the
Central State University Invincible Marauders
from Wilberforce, Ohio. I was doing a volunteer stint
at the Circle Theatre Friday night, so got to see the
Marauders. They performed a version of the
Star-Spangled Banner that was warm and mellow,
free of the histrionics that can be a part of
our national anthem.
Of course, there was the usual contingent
of drum majors, cheer squads, flag bearers, and
dancing girls, like the pretty Tiara shown above.
Children, sitting on the curbs or held by their parents,
were enthralled by the sound of the brass
and drums (as were their parents).
Just about every day, Indianapolis news is often
dominated by the tragedy of another shooting,
another young person, usually an African American male,
dying at the hands of another. It happens so often
we tend to forget that the majority of people are working
hard to put their kids through school so they can
become educated and productive citizens of the world.
These kids -- the musicians, the dancers, the flag
bearers, the steppers and line dancers
are representative of their parents' and neighbors'
efforts put the lie to the image we see too often.
