CHIMACUM — The Chimacum High School Cowboy band has been invited to represent Washington state next July 4 in the 250th anniversary national Independence Day Parade in Washington, D.C.
“This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity,” band director Daniel Ferland said.
The invitation was announced when local and state leaders joined students and their families at the Veterans Day school assembly on Nov. 10.
Attendees included state Sen. Mike Chapman, D-Port Angeles, state Rep. Adam Bernbaum, D-Port Angeles, state Rep. Steve Tharinger, D-Port Townsend, Port Townsend Mayor David Faber, Port Townsend City Manager John Mauro and Jefferson County Commissioner Heather Dudley Nollette.
The decision to submit an application came from a desire to follow the momentum of last year’s awards. The band placed first out of 26 bands at the Long Beach Loyalty Day Parade in 2024, Ferland said.
“That was a big boost for our program, cause now we’re kind of on the map,” he said.
The school’s drumline received several awards in 2024 as well, Ferland said.
“We wanted to find something to do this year, and we wanted to kind of think about going out of state, something big that we could work towards,” Ferland said.
Ferland applied to a few places, just to see what would happen. He submitted to organizers in Washington, D.C., not necessarily expecting to hear back. He did hear back and began a process which included submission of video recordings of the band, a detailing of awards and phone conversations.
“When the decision was made, it was really hard for me not to give it away. It was a lot of fun,” Ferland said. “I had to sit on that for about a month or so.”
Another contributing factor to the band’s success is community support, Ferland said. Many of the students currently in the band have parents and grandparents who previously were in the band, he added.
“There’s a driving force in the community to support the band program,” Ferland said.
Chimacum High School’s music program has a rich history.
“It was very common for the Chimacum band to win awards and travel on a yearly basis,” Ferland said. “There was a time where half the school was literally in the marching band. It makes it that much easier because there’s already this knowledge and there’s already community support.”
The band is made up of about 36 students, mostly freshmen and sophomores with a few juniors, a handful of seniors and a few advanced eighth-graders.
“Being in such a small town, there’s only so many people, which keeps us small,” said saxophonist Mikhail Groth, the band’s student leader and drum major. “Because we’re small, we can focus a lot more on quality. There’s not a lot of us and we’re really tight knit, a lot of camaraderie, which really helps with confidence and just working on stuff and getting through it. So we don’t have to be too nervous to do things. Everyone feels generally supported.”
Groth, a sophomore, began playing his instrument in the sixth grade because band was required and he thought it looked cool, but very quickly began taking it seriously.
“Ever since sixth grade, I’ve gotten more enveloped in it,” he said. “I just keep working on it. I always like improving.”
Last year, Groth went to state. This will be his third year in a row going to regionals, he said.
Chime In — the Chimacum High School band boosters — will be responsible for much of the fundraising. Their fundraising goal is $100,000. Cost per student is not yet known and will depend on a few variables, including how many students participate.
Costs are estimated to range between $2,000 and $2,400 per student, which would include the costs of travel, lodging and all meals, Ferland said.
Students’ families will be responsible for a $200 deposit, due Dec. 1, to secure their spot on the trip and to give trip organizers a sense of how many flights to book, buses to charter and hotel rooms to book.
Ferland told students last Thursday to talk with him if their family couldn’t afford the deposit, assuring them that he would find a way to fund their trip.
“We never leave anybody behind because their family doesn’t have the amount of money they need,” Ferland said.
Readers can support students in traveling to Washington, D.C., by donating to the booster club at https://chimacumband.org.
The band will perform a holiday concert, free to the public, at 7 p.m. Dec. 18 at the high school auditorium, 91 West Valley Road, Chimacum.
________
Reporter Elijah Sussman can be reached by email at elijah.sussman@peninsuladailynews.com.
