Band shines in show prior to inauguration

By Tom Hintgen (Contact) | The Daily Journal

Published 12:00 p.m., January 16, 2009

Close to 1,500 people came to the high school gymnasium on a cold Thursday evening to cheer the Fergus Falls High School marching band as it performed just prior to leaving for the presidential inaugural in the nation’s capital.

“You’re not just the talk of this town, but the talk of the entire state,” said School Superintendent Jerry Ness, one of several speakers. “When people talk about our marching band, they use words like dedication and excellence.”

A representative for U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar was on hand and said the senator from Minnesota, along with Seventh District Congressman Collin Peterson, look forward to welcome the marching band when it arrives in the nation’s capital.

“You (band members) have handled early morning practices and extra work fantastically well,” said director Scott Kummrow.

Director Jim Iverson said that Thursday evening, at the high school gymnasium before the large, send-off crowd, “this is the final chapter of an adventure that began a little over a month ago.”

Denise Wiese, who has led the flag squad for 15 years, called support from parents of band members, booster club members and the community in general “nothing short of fantastic.”

After a video presentation of the band’s practices the past few weeks, Supt. Ness pointed to a long banner on the west wall of the gymnasium. The congratulatory banner was signed by every student from the grade school in Hawley. The Bemidji band, he said, is sponsoring two FFHS marching band members.

“No doubt about it, regional support for our kids is overwhelming,” said retired high school teacher Loren Woolson who attended Thursday evening’s marching band sendoff at the gym.

“It (total impact of the inaugural trip) hasn’t really hit me yet, but I know that it will once we get to Washington, D.C.,” said honor guard member Ariel Schuelke, a junior.

Louise McGee, a junior and clarinet player, looked back several months to when the band first auditioned.

“We tried our hardest,” she said, “and in the end things fell into place.”

Trumpet players David Hanson and Chris Kunz, both sophomores, said the impact of playing in the inaugural parade will last long after the events in the nation’s capital. They said the many hours on the bus to the East Coast will be long, but at the same time fun.

Drummer Dallas Cordahl, also a sophomore, looked back to when he was a fifth grader in the Fergus Falls Middle School. That was the year when he first played the drums.

“It’s a great feeling right now,” Cordahl said Thursday evening, after the performance, while visiting with family and friends at the gymnasium.

Director Iverson reminded those in attendance that the marching band’s theme is, “Share the Pride.” He said that pride will be shared by many people when the Fergus Falls band marches down Pennsylvania Avenue during the Obama inaugural parade in the nation’s capital this coming Tuesday.

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