The Really BIG Show

At 585 members, the Allen Eagle Escadrille is thought to put on the biggest halftime performance in the United States, but it remains a program rooted in small-town values. The Eagle Escadrille - which encompasses the marching band, Tallonettes drill team and color guard - was created in the mid-1970s when parents of the Allen band and drill team recognized the value in numbers in what was then a small, rural community. Over the years, the town has grown into one a bustling suburb. Allen High School has grown into one of the larger Class 5A enrollments in the state, and so has the Escadrille. Few, if any, high school bands in the country can fill a 100 yard football field like the Escadrille. "It's a spectacle," said director of bands Charles Pennington. "We're big because we're very inclusive. If you will show up to practice and put in the time and effort, you can be in our band." While most high school bands work up a weekly song for the drill team performance before concentrating on their own marching, the Escadrille coordinates almost 600 members of the band, drill team and color guard into the production. "We have a great relationship with our drill team and color guard," Pennington said. "We take them everywhere - games, parades - because it's a great tradition that produces such a great performance as well as a great experience for our band." The Escadrille's "inclusive" nature naturally creates some logistical challenges that smaller marching bands do not deal with. Besides requiring more a combination of more than 10 buses and trucks for road games, the Escadrille also require more seating room - room that many opposing stadiums cannot provide. "There's a tradeoff with anything but I wouldn't have it any other way," Pennington said. "Our kids are so used to performing together, no matter how much room we do or do not have, it's not a problem. They can squeeze into just about anywhere. We're used to being right on top of each other. It probably makes us better." The program's trophy case is just as big. The Escadrille's long history includes seven trips to the state marching finals and two state championships. The program also was named the recipients of The Sudler Shield, an international award administered by the John Philip Sousa Foundation recognizing high school marching bands of world class excellence. If getting such a big band from Allen to Plano or McKinney seems hard, imagine taking almost 600 performers, directors and chaperones overseas. The Escadrille has not let travel become an obstacle having taken trips to perform in the Rose Bowl Parade, Macy's Thanksgiving Parade in New York City and the St. Patrick's Day Parade in Dublin, Ireland. Next on the agenda: A trip to the St. Patrick's Day Parade in Hawaii. "The trips not only provide a lot of enjoyment for our kids, but also let us represent Allen and Allen High School all over the world," Pennington said. "And we do get a lot of strange looks from people who aren't familiar with us. They always ask, 'how big are you?'"