The sounds of the South Carolina State University Marching 101 band will fill the skies of Atlanta this Labor Day during its performance at the first-ever HBCU Hall of Fame Marching Band Classic.

“I’m very excited to showcase our band. ... We’ve been there before but not to an event of this magnitude,” said S.C. State Band Director Eddie Ellis of the trip. The event will be held at Herndon Stadium on the campus of Morris Brown College.

That event will culminate a busy weekend that includes a stop in Orlando for the Bulldogs’ opening football game against the University of Central Florida on Saturday. When the band finally returns to campus, they will have traveled more than 1,000 miles this weekend.

Other college bands participating in the Hall of Fame event are: Grambling, Jackson State, Southern, North Carolina A&T, Alabama State, Morehouse and Clark Atlanta. Ellis said the expected crowd of 40,000 will choose the winner by applause.

There is no prize for the winner, however Ellis said bragging rights are certainly at stake. He hopes the trip will provide good exposure for the Marching 101 to recruit future band members from the Atlanta area.

The Marching 101 will sport 270 band members, 18 color guards, 16 dancers and five drum majors at the event.

Senior Venetia Lyles said she is not nervous because the band has played at large events, such as an Atlanta Falcons game, in the past. “It’s practically the same thing,” she said.

She just wants the band to go out and do its best, as “It’s not like practice. You only have once chance.”

Lyles said, “Everybody loves coming together for one cause.”

While playing before a large crowd is nothing new for Lyles, the experience will be totally new for freshman Walter Luckett.

“It’s exciting. I’ve been waiting since high school to do something like this,” Luckett said.

Patrons at the event can expect to hear the band’s rendition of “Closer” by R&B artist Ne-Yo and a tribute to the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games.

The band will develop a new halftime show for every home game.

“We hope all the S.C. State friends and alumni come out and support us,” Ellis said.

Ellis likes the progress he’s seen heading into his fifth year as the Marching 101’s director.

“Each year the band has gotten better in terms of students, talent and musicians,” he said.

The Hall of Fame Band Classic will take place at 2 p.m on Monday, Sept. 1. For more information, go to www.marchingbandhof.com.

T&D Staff Writer Lee Tant can be reached by e-mail at ltant@timesanddemocrat.com or by phone at 803-534-1060.

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