The Fort Dodge All-American Marching Band is traveling to Memphis, Tennessee, to entertain fans at the Liberty Bowl and around Tennessee.

The Dodgers will highlight their trip by playing in the Beale Street Parade as well as the halftime of the Navy and Cincinnati Liberty Bowl contest.

The game will begin at 3:30 p.m. on Friday and will be televised on ESPN. It can be streamed on Fubo and Sling TV.

The Beale Street Parade can be streamed online through Memphis channels. The parade is on New Year’s Day at 3 p.m. central time.

—Messenger file photo by Britt Kudla
The Fort Dodge Senior High All-American Marching Band’s drum majors — Owen Hamlow, Manuela Rodriguez, Brooklyn Kaloupek, and Leif Hamilton — hold the band’s first-place trophy for Class 3A after competing in the 22nd annual North Central Iowa Marching Band Clinic and Competition on Sept. 27.

Fort Dodge’s Jazz I band will showcase its talent at Graceland, the home of Elvis Presley.

The band left Fort Dodge Tuesday at 5 a.m. and its first stop will be to watch the AutoZone Liberty Bowl Professional Rodeo.

Eighty-five Dodger marchers will get a chance to visit the National Civil Rights Museum as well.

The All-American Marching Band gets a number of requests to play and Director Al Paulson sifts through the invitations to decide the best fit for the Dodgers.

“The kids will get to see the Liberty Bowl Rodeo when we first get to Tennessee,” he said. “We will go to the Martin Luther King Jr. memorial and Jazz I will play at Graceland.

“They will also march in the Liberty Bowl parade and at halftime of the bowl game.”

After one of the strongest seasons in recent memory, the Dodgers put together a memorable season.

Fort Dodge received first place in Class 4A at the North Central Iowa Marching Band Invitational as well as best brass.

The Dodgers had a clean sweep at the Algona Band Days Contest. They were grand champions and earned first place in Class 4A. The Dodgers also earned best winds, best percussion and best marching and maneuvering execution.

Fort Dodge finished up the season with a Division I rating at the IHSMA state marching band festival inside Dodger Stadium.

“We receive letters and invitations for bowl games based on our past history,” Paulson said. “Bowls will send letters and I’ll sift through what would be viable options for us.

“We could go all over the world, so we have to figure out what would be cost effective and talk to the administrators and get the OK. I also talk to the kids and get their input.”