MSU Pride Band to Play in Tournament of Roses Parade

Missouri State University's Pride Band has something to be proud of.

After a very competitive international process, the band has been chosen to perform at the 2008 Tournament of Roses Parade.

The president of the parade's association came to Springfield Friday to make the announcement and meet the band and director Jerry Hoover.

The selection process was open this time to bands world wide, with higher standards than ever before.

“Normally we have high school bands that are in the parade,” he says.  “They only really found eight high school bands that meet the criteria that I had established and of course MSU far exceeded those and was an easy selection for this party of the country."

The Pride Band must pay its own way to the Tournament of Roses Parade next year, which costs $266,000.

Director Hoover says the band has $30,000 left to collect.