A woman called this week and complained about the Quincy High School and Quincy Notre Dame marching bands not performing at last Saturday's Veterans Parade in Quincy.

She was standing by Quincy Medical Group at 10th and Maine, and "everybody was upset" the bands were not in the parade, she said.

"They were being disrespectful to veterans by not being there," she said.

I respectfully disagree.

Parade organizers Jim Ponsot and Dick McKinney tried to get the bands to participate when the parade was revived last year. But schedules and circumstances have prevented both bands from participating.

"If we don't have a band, we don't have a band," McKinney says. "It does not mean they are disrespecting veterans."

My daughter participated in Quincy High School's marching band for four years. Practices started in early August in sweltering heat and continued the next three months. The band performed at football games, assemblies and many weekend competitions.

By the end of October, when band season ended and equipment was packed away, band members and leaders were relieved a long and rewarding season was finished.

Many Quincy High and Quincy Notre Dame students were out of town last Saturday at the Illinois Music Educators All District Music Festival. This is an important competition which leads many students to getting college scholarships.

A marching band can't just show up and stroll down the street. Many of Quincy High School's band members are participating in this week's musical, putting many hours of practice and preparation.

Veterans were saluted Wednesday before West Side Story performance began.

"People think we just lay around and do nothing," says Kathi Dooley, director of musical education and fine arts for Quincy Public Schools. "That's not true. We do things in seasons, and then we pack it up and put our equipment away and move on to the next event."

Quincy Notre Dame musicians performed at Wednesday's Veterans Day ceremonies at the Illinois Veterans Home, and at the end of the month Quincy Junior High School seventh-graders will also be performing at the Veterans Home.

"There's no disrespect for veterans, or for anybody else," says Pam Potter, director of the QND band. "We have Christmas concerts the kids are preparing for ... We have duties and schedules at the school we have to prepare for, and we always put the students first."

Dooley has an idea which might solve the issue of local bands playing at a Veterans Day Parade. On the third Saturday of every October, QHS hosts Octoberfest, with more than 20 local and state high school bands performing.

"We could do both parades on that date, and we could call it the Veterans Parade," Dooley said. "All the veterans have to do is show up and we'll put them in the parade."

Sounds like a win-win for everybody.

-- rhart@whig.com/221-3370