MGCCC Band of Gold to participate in governor’s inaugural parade

Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College's Band of Gold during the college's Homecoming Day 2011 parade.

Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College’s Band of Gold will join 23 other bands from Mississippi high schools, community colleges and universities participating in the Jan. 10 inaugural parade in downtown Jackson. The parade is scheduled for 2 p.m., following the swearing-in ceremony for Republican Phil Bryant as Mississippi's 64th governor. Thousands are expected to attend the parade, which will begin at Amite and State streets, criss-cross downtown, and end at the Mississippi State Fairgrounds.

Host of the annual Gold Medal Classic that attracts high school bands from all over Mississippi, Alabama and Louisiana each fall, the Band of Gold has a rich tradition of community service and a commitment to providing instructional excellence in music education for students. The band performs during halftime at football games and promotes the participation of fans at basketball games with spirited musical selections. Its 187 members, including the flag corps, participate in marching and concert bands as well as several ensembles, including a jazz band and brass and woodwind ensembles.

The band is led by Dell Trotter, director of bands since July 2010, and assistant band directors Heather Spicer and Sean Keady. Spicer has been an assistant band director for five years and acted as interim director before Trotter was named to that position. Keady, who had previously worked with Trotter in the Harrison County school system, joined the Band of Gold as assistant band director in 2010.

An integral part of the Band of Gold, the Perkettes have performed their way through Gulf Coast athletic events since 1952. Sixty years later, the elite dance group is still going strong, and a must-see fixture at Gulf Coast football games. The Perkettes dance line is led by Hillary Bosarge.