The Ballard High Marching Band pulled out a first-place win at the Autumn Leaf Festival last weekend in Leavenworth after nearly missing the whole parade.
The 150-member band was scheduled to leave at 8:30am on Saturday morning, but a mix-up with buses meant they were delayed an hour. On top of that, a snowstorm at Steven’s Pass on Highway 2 slowed traffic. When they finally pulled into Leavenworth, the parade was already underway.
The students quickly changed into their uniforms while still on the bus, and with the help from parents, BHS Director of Bands Michael James directed the buses as close as possible to the parade assembly area.
“They literally marched away from the buses and into the parade with no stopping or pausing, to applause and cheers of onlookers,” Roxanne Kenison with BHS says.
After a successful march, the band discovered they’d won first place out of 19 bands in the festival parade, and took first place in the 4A division.
The festival was the first performance of the year for the band — their next performance will be this Friday, Oct. 4 at the Ballard Homecoming Game. Friday’s show will include a 10-minute Aretha Franklin tribute that will includes her greatest hits: Think, Natural Woman, and Respect.
Photo by Roxanne Kenison