Football and the marching band. Is there anything more small-town America than that? Throw in a good old fashioned rivalry (Beat Wakefield!) and you’ve got the makings of one perfect Friday night. It might be March, but the allure of September football is always in the air, with crisp nights, good friends, packed stands and the beat of a drum, the sound of a horn, the cheer of a touchdown.
For so many, the football stands are a place to come together, to set aside differences and to cheer on a common champion. It isn’t just the football team we applaud, however. The magic of our marching band creates an atmosphere of celebration. Win or lose, the band plays on and halftime would not be the same without them. So when Jess reached out to a few old football parents, moms and dads with fond memories of super bowls and Thanksgiving games, her request seemed like a no-brainer.
“The band needs drums,” she said. The lifespan of a marching band drum is seven years. Melrose band members have been beating their existing drumline for more than ten. “I was wondering,” Jess asked, “if maybe some of you could get together and purchase one drum as a group, as a way to say thank you for the years of the band.”
So, they got to work, those parents of football alum, pulled together old contact info from pasta parties and senior banquets. They texted when emails bounced back and encouraged word-of-mouth, too. They contacted parents of current football players and parents of players from years ago. Could you? Would you? Do you think?
They did. They would.
Nine drums make a line and each one – with its related harness and stand – comes at a cost of $1,200. The football parents gave what they could – $10 here, $50 there, an astounding $300 from another. One donation came with a note that simply stated: “my son said one of the best parts of the game is running out to the band.”
When the drumline beats come September, one (maybe two!) of those drums will sound louder and prouder to a generous group of football parents who want the band members and the stands packed with fans to know, quite simply: WE LOVE THE BAND!
If you’d like to donate to the Drumline Fundraiser, see http://melroseband.org/new/ or contact Jessica Dugan at jrdugan@gmail.com.
