06/10/2026
The heartwarming sound of “America the Beautiful” filled the summer air on Tuesday afternoon. Students from the Pride of Prattville Marching Band moved in step across the field during a parade rehearsal under the scorching sun. Students spent hours in the heat this afternoon—and many others this spring—for a special reason; the band will be traveling to Philadelphia to participate in the “Salute to Independence Parade” on July 3rd to celebrate our nation’s semi quincentennial. Among these dedicated students are five members of the Montgomery Alabama Stake: Sydney Tuck, Jonas Tuck, Caroline Spears, Nicole Herrick, and Quintan Huffman.
Their performance in the parade is quite an honor; they were invited to participate without any application process. Both Band director Chris King and the students were shocked and delighted at the invitation, which came nearly two years ago. It will be the only marching band in the parade to represent the state of Alabama.
Sydney Tuck is looking forward to the trip. “I’m really glad that I get to go, even though it’s a little tough.
“Our country represents freedom, and to have us able to represent Alabama—it feels good! And being in the South, we love our country so much that we are just so excited about this opportunity…even our drums have flags on them!
“Being a part of this parade feels like a way to honor the freedom that we have and what we’ve had through the years. It’s a little sentimental to me because I am a girl, and I play drums! There are a lot of stereotypes out there, even with playing instruments—a lot of people don’t connect girls with playing drums. Being able to show my freedom in this country as a woman even in choosing the instrument I want, and to be able to show that I can do it, it just feels good!
“This experience is also a blessing because the songs we are playing are about God and our country, and—I love God! So, it’s really good.”
Watch for future reports of these students on this amazing trip to celebrate our nation’s 250th!
