Band Day is a popular part of the Kansas University football season, but it has been hampered in recent years by television scheduling issues and reduced school funding.

That tradition will be renewed for the 67th year with the Band Day parade down Massachusetts Street at 9 a.m. Saturday followed by a halftime program that will feature about 30 high school bands performing with the Marching Jayhawks.

One of the back-door benefits of a lackluster football season is that television demands are less likely to mess up the Band Day schedule. Last year, the Band Day parade had to be canceled after the football game was moved up to 11 a.m. to accommodate television. That didn’t leave enough time to hold the parade and get band members up to Memorial Stadium in time for the game and half-time performance. The change in plans, along with tight school travel budgets, probably contributed to the fact that only 17 high school bands participated in the 2013 Band Day event. Evening games can accommodate the traditional parade but can pose problems for schools that travel some distance and don’t want to arrive home too late.

Band Day not only is fun for local residents and KU football fans, it is a great way to introduce hundreds of high school students to the KU campus. Some of those students may consider attending KU after graduation and those who don’t still can take a positive impression of the university back to their hometowns.

We welcome these young musicians to Lawrence on Saturday and are confident they will be greeted by large and enthusiastic audiences as they march down Massachusetts Street and perform for the Memorial Stadium audience.