Sacred Hearts Academy’s band will perform in the Veterans Day parade on Wednesday, Nov. 11,  in Wahiawa.

The Aloha Week parade organization now requires bands to pay for a ribbon for each participant, including parents marching with the band.

Academy band director Keith Higaki believes the payment was not justified. “They were treating us kind of rudely and the other band directors pretty rudely, said Higaki. “I decided to pull out and have the band march in a more worthy parade, such as the Veterans Day parade in Wahiawa.

“The Aloha Week parade has, over the last decade, degraded into one of the most disorganized, poorly-planned parades. There’s low participation and low advertisement, and the crowds we’ve been seeing over the years have been dwindling. It really makes it, one, the most difficult parade and longest parade, and for little return. I didn’t feel that it was worth it any more.”