JACKSON -- The 1998 Marching Band Festival at Jackson began with the traditional parade through the city and ended Tuesday night in a tribute to Nick Leist, director of the Jackson Marching Chiefs for 30 years.

Leist, who retired at the end of the 1997-98 school year, was serenaded by the 15 bands massed at the Jackson High School Stadium. The approximately 1,000 musicians played his Southeast alma mater along with "Thanks for the Memories" and a modified version of the Village People's "YMCA."

Tuesday, the bands spelled out "NICK."

Another tune, "Symbol of Honor," was chosen because "he became a symbol of honor," Jackson band director Pat Schwent said.

During the tribute, the announcer called Leist "our Mr. Holland," a reference to the beloved movie character.

The 1998 festival was rescheduled for Tuesday after last week's rains washed out the original date. Two of the scheduled bands were unable to come Tuesday because of the change.

This was the 54th annual festival at Jackson. It is an event that anyone who has played in a marching band in the region remembers well. Unlike most marching band festivals, the bands aren't here to compete but to unite in a thunder of drums and flourish of trumpets.

"Anybody who has ever marched in this festival remembers it. It's a dynamic experience both for band directors and the students," said Schwent, who marched here herself as a student at Valle of Ste. Genevieve.

At Tuesday afternoon's rehearsal for the performance that night, the students just appeared to be enjoying the sunshine. "They don't feel it yet," Schwent said. "They'll feel it in five or 10 years when they're standing here watching it with their kids."

Nora Fuchs, one of the band directors at Sikeston High School, was attending her first festival. This is the only festival Sikeston goes to because the marching band does not enter competitions.

For many students from smaller high schools, the annual Jackson festival is one of the few chances to compare their own performances with others and to meet other musicians.

After finishing rehearsal, Fuchs said, the Sikeston students would be shuttled to the West Park Mall for a couple hours of R&R before the performance.

Crowds of school children and adults lined the streets of downtown Jackson for the 1:30 p.m. parade. Teachers accompanied younger Jackson school children to the event, while older students were released to attend the parade.

The bands -- ranging in size from Delta's small contingent of about 20 to Jackson's mammoth 181-member unit -- all were applauded. But the loudest cheers went up, of course, for the Jackson Marching Chiefs, who played "Everything's Coming Up Roses."

"Hey Jude" was the song chosen by the Advance High School band, which included a saxophonist in a wheelchair.

By 2:30 p.m., the bands had changed from their uniforms into casual clothes and met on the Jackson High school football field to rehearse the performance.

Eighth-grader Rebecca Cook of Delta was in the end zone preparing to march onto the field with other flag corps members from Kelly of Benton and Charleston high schools.

She had one mission for the free time between rehearsal and performance: Eating at McDonald's.