Dressing to impress: WHS Marching Band seeks new uniforms

by Sarah Barr

Staff Writer

Submitted photos

Before you know it, the Wethersfield High School Marching Band could be strutting its stuff in the emperor’s new clothes.

Perhaps that’s a slight exaggeration. But the 66-year-old musical organization could be losing points in competitions because the 13-year-old uniforms are dinged and damaged and showing their age.

“They are judged on appearance,” Samantha Kahn said.

She is a Wethersfield High School Band Booster. Her daughter, Ariana, is a freshman who plays clarinet. Kahn said her heart breaks because they leave everything on the field when they compete.

“They practice probably more than other sports because of the music [lessons and practice] and the shows and to see them perform and lose by small points, you have to wonder, is it because of their uniform? I hate to see these kids fall short because of something like that.”

The hope is that next year’s band will marching to the beat in new uniforms

Kahn is the point person for a fundraiser that was started specifically for the uniforms. A total of $20,000 is needed to buy 50 more head-to-toe outfits. As of this writing, they have a raised a bit more than $13,000.

“The kids have worked so hard and we’re so close,” Kahn said about reaching the goal, making the order and hitting the submit button. For years, the Band Boosters – in step with Band Director Michael Bowles – have been playing a numbers game and making an emotional appeal.

Bowles has expressed his utmost gratitude.

“Marching band cannot exist without the parent group. They drive the trucks, load the equipment, provide the chaperones. They are invaluable,” he said in a previous story.

They also raise the money and not by waving the drum major’s baton.

In this case, a PowerPoint presentation shows side-by-side comparisons to other towns demonstrating how the uniforms for the “Pride of Wethersfield” lack dimension, style and identity. More modern outfits use lighter fabric, digital printing and are more durable.

Better fabrics are also less costly to clean. If savings aren’t a selling point, perhaps the “ick” factor is, as the current outfits have been worn by more than 550 students at more than 60 home football games and more than 65 marching band competitions.

Then it’s practically the 12 Days of Christmas: 10 Veterans Day ceremonies, nine Cornfests; eight Columbus Day Parades, five St. Patrick’s Day Parades and a trip to perform at Walt Disney World in Florida.

The bottom line is an individual uniform has been worn more 130 times. The presentation then poses the question “what other team wears a decade-old uniform 100-plus times?”

This is a rendering of what the new WHS Marching Band uniform might look like, highlighting a more modern identity and design.

“Think if you had an outfit and wore it over 60 times. It might be time for a new one,” Kahn said.

Those numbers coincide with wardrobe malfunctions such as torn seams and Velcro repairs as well as pants and hats damaged beyond repair. Twenty uniforms had to be “retired” due to excessive staining.

“We’ve been to competitions and people’s pants have ripped,” Kahn said. “The material was different when they were made back then. It’s stiff.”

She is looking for people to relax their wallets and fund this cause but admits it’s a sales job.

“Marching band falls under the arts. There’s no funding from the town. They’re not a sport. No funding there. This falls on the laps of the boosters.”

But she is relentless. Give this Realtor by trade a task and she’ll get the job done. That’s why the online fund drive is being conducted with passion and urgency.

“People are really receptive. It’s going towards a specific cause,” she said of the QR code-driven uniform drive. She added that it is more effective than the band’s fruit sale, Christmas tree pickup and the bottle/can drives.

Another future uniform option.

“They all do well,” she said, not wanting to take away from all the effort and planning that goes into those events. “But we need to make the big plunge. If we order, we have to submit a large deposit.”

Each uniform costs approximately $500. Since there’s such a big focus on math here, if that’s multiplied by 100 performances or uses, the total is $5 per performance. That use could go into effect as early as next season because it takes 120-180 days to receive them.

“The first event could be on our competitions in October or our football games,” she said.

“They are the pride of Wethersfield. Without the marching band, the parades wouldn’t be what they are, the football games wouldn’t be what they are. They put Wethersfield on the map,” Khan added.

“They’re going to Disney World next year. The nationals at Met Life Stadium, these are memories. They’ve performed and competed and held their own. Our town should help them look their very best.” WL

For more information on WHS musical programs including the uniform drive go to wethersfieldmusic.com.