RHYTHM IN MOTION
Heartland International Tattoo will leave its mark on the Midwest
The First Midwest International Tattoo took place at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, March 25, and at 1:30 p.m. Sunday, March 26, 2006, at the Northern Illinois University Convocation Center, 1525 West Lincoln Highway, DeKalb, Ill. The Second Annual Heartland International Tattoo took place at 7:00 p.m. Saturday March 31, and at 1:00 p.m. Sunday April 1, 2007, at the NIU Convocation Center. The Third Annual Heartland Tattoo will take place at 7:00 p.m. Saturday, April 12, and at 1:00 p.m. Sunday, April 13, 2008 at the NIU Convocation Center.
The Heartland International Tattoo is the first of its kind in the Midwest. Its mission is to honor and salute all current military, veterans, military units and bands. The Heartland Tattoo features hundreds of performers in civilian and military brass bands, bag-pipe bands, wind bands, Scottish dancers, drum corps and more.
Patterned after the great Edinburgh Tattoo (Scotland) and the Nova Scotia Tattoo, this indoor musical pageant will be a major tourism event for northern Illinois as well as the entire Midwest region. The other major North American tattoo is the 10-day Virginia Arts Tattoo which attracts thousands of visitors.
Past Performs at the Heartland International Tattoo have included many top drawer bands, dancers and other pageantry units including:
- United States Marine Drum and Bugle Corps
- United States Navy Band
- United States Coast Guard Silent Drill Team
- First Battalion Chicago Highland Rifles
- Prairie Brass Band, Arlington Heights, Ill.
- The Marine Living Memorial Honor Guard, Wisc.
- The McNulty Irish Dancers, Chicago
- Thistle and Heather Highland Dancers, Chicago
- 8th Wing Canadian Trenton Pipe Band
- Saint Andrews Bagpipe Band
- Highlander Bagpipe Band, Chicago
- Steel Drum Band of Northern Illinois
- and more...
FunME Events, the production company that is organizing this premiere Midwest tattoo, has made a three-year commitment to host the tattoo in the Midwest. Future Heartland International Tattoos will be held March 31-April 1, 2007 and April 12-13, 2008.
Bringing the Heartland Tattoo to the Midwest is founder Michael Embrey, executive director of FunME Events of DeKalb. Embrey has been active in the area of special events, music, entertainment and education for three decades. He served as a musician and arranger for the United States Air Force Academy Band/Drum Corps.