Through the overcast morning weather, community members’ support for the South Dade Band poured in during the Harvest Festival fundraiser at Harris Field on October 15.
Dozens of vendors—including hair tinsel artists, food stands, and clothing designers—gathered under the pavilion to serve guests as they waited for performances from the marching band and color guard. There was also a bounce house, dunk tank, and drumming lessons using buckets, taught by members of the band.
“Even though sometimes having all those people watching me makes me a little anxious, conducting feels really relaxing, being in control of a band and who plays louder and who plays softer is just so satisfying,” Jaxson Hall, conductor at the festival, said.
Even though she graduated in 2022, band alumna and event attendee Angelica Bennett acknowledges her start in the band and hopes to inspire the next generation of band members by showing up for her community.
“I think it’s really important after you graduate to come back and not forget where you came from. We all are in this together in this huge community, and because I am still local, it is very important for me to give back to the people who are younger than me,” Angelica said.
While some came out to support their loved ones in the band, others were happy to hear the live music while also supporting small businesses.
“My husband and I came out after we saw posts about it on social media, we wanted to see what it was about and the free entry and parking was what really got me! I ended up getting some clothes for my niece and nephew to spoil them,” Anna Guerra, a Homestead local said.
For band director Scott Davis who ended up being the one in the hot seat of the dunk tank, supporting his students is of utmost importance, even if sometimes it send him into the deep end.
“The relationship we build is like a playful love-hate relationship. I knew that the kids would love to be the ones to say that they dunked their teacher, and also the weather that day was pretty humid so being in the water in there actually felt great,” Davis said.
