The Roanoke Times | File March

The Highty-Tighties prepare to play the national anthem at the Goody's Cool Orange 500 at the Martinsville Speedway in March.

Courtesy of Kevin Gillispie

The Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets' Highty-Tighties rehearse one last time in a Blacksburg neighborhood before leaving for New Orleans, where the band will play today in Mardi Gras parades in advance of Fat Tuesday.

BLACKSBURG -- Just a month after playing at the opening ceremonies for the presidential inauguration, the Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets marching band is on the march again this weekend.

This time, the Highty-Tighties' tour of duty will be the Big Easy. The band will play today in Mardi Gras parades in advance of Fat Tuesday.

Parade performances are common for members of the Highty-Tighties, of course, who were the centerpiece of the 2007 Macy's Thanksgiving Parade and have performed at the Cherry Blossom Parade in the nation's capital and in Savannah's St. Patrick's Day Parade in recent years.

"These performances are very important because they represent the university and the corps in a great light," said Maj. George McNeil, who has been director of the Highty-Tighties for 17 years.

"It's a way of saying thanks to the band for all their hard work throughout the year. I look at it as a morale builder and also a way of giving them an experience they will remember for the rest of their lives."

McNeil said the Highty-Tighties are so popular in New Orleans that it took only a phone call to make this appearance a reality.

The band has performed in the Mardi Gras festivities twice, but this visit is special, since the group's last visit was only a few months after Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans in 2005. So for this trip, many of the seniors, such as Commanding Officer Cadet Michael Hercula, will get a look at the progress made since the previous trip.

"It was a good experience," Hercula said about his first trip, despite the conditions after the hurricane.

"But while some things were up and running, most of the buildings still had scaffolding on them and you could definitely see that a lot of things wouldn't get repaired until other priorities were taken care of first."

Drum Maj., Cadet Capt. John "Art" DeLaura, who will select the music and lead the band in the parade, was a freshman when the Highty-Tighties were in New Orleans four years ago.

"It was great to see that even though this natural disaster was so destructive, the spirit of Mardi Gras and New Orleans was still there," said DeLaura, who sees parallels between the way New Orleans and Blacksburg united after their own tragedies.

Cadet Michael May, who serves as the band's public relations officer, will be experiencing Mardi Gras and the Big Easy for the first time.

May, a percussionist, said he is looking forward to the New Orleans experience and sampling some unique food.

"We pride ourselves on our marching and how good we look all the time, our precision," May said. "I hope the people look at us and think, 'Wow. They look really sharp.' "

To make this all happen, the cadets are running on a tight schedule.

The Highty-Tighties left Thursday evening from Shultz Dining Hall and will return Sunday in time to perform at the Tech women's basketball game at 2 p.m.

The band members were scheduled to arrive at noon Friday and had until 2 this morning explore the Crescent City.

DeLaura said the most difficult thing will be getting decent sleep. As he points out, most of their sleep will be on the bus.

"But I have no worries about this band," he said. "Once they step on that parade route, each one of them gets in the zone."