Orange City, Iowa, band readies for Roses Parade

That was the word from Sally Bixby, president of the 2013 Tournament of Roses, who stopped by the Orange City Tulip Festival in May to formally invite The Pride of the Dutchmen Marching Band to the grand parade in Pasadena, Calif.

"This is the biggest parade in the world," said Steve Connell, the band director at MOC-Floyd Valley High School in Orange City. "A million people line the streets. It's really hard to describe unless you've been there."

Being in The Pride of the Dutchmen Marching Band is like that. So, we stopped to ask five seniors their thoughts about the thrills they've had and the dedication they need to march for one of Iowa's premier marching bands, a band that has marched and played all over the U.S. map, including parade shows in Hawaii, Oregon, West Virginia, Arizona, Florida and more.

Those who gathered include Kristin Probst, field conductor who has played alto sax; Drew Lemke, a trumpeter; Paige Hubers, a guard captain/drum major who can play trumpet; Andy Schuiteman, a field conductor/drum major who plays alto sax; and Jade Hanson, a flute player who now serves as color guard captain.

The 2012 fall show, dubbed "From One For All," features a whirlwind of movement across three songs. It opens with Brendan Foughty in a trumpet solo.

"Brendan plays five bars and sets the mood," says Schuiteman. "It's the main melody the whole show is based on."

If it is anything like previous Dutch efforts, it will be spectacular. Connell's crew is known for more than its wooden shoes (they'll be worn at Pasadena); the group is known for aggressive moves, great sound and bringing home the hardware. Rare is the day these musicians don't bring home a first-place award.

"Since second grade we've known what this band is about," says Hubers. "A lot of us had older siblings in it. I know I always watched the color guard as something about the flags intrigued me."

Hanson moved to the district five years ago. She came from the Pomeroy-Palmer School District, one that featured a 47-member band that played during football.

"We had a great band, but we didn't march," said Hanson, noting her band was like many others in the region. "Our band was nothing like this."

"This" on a steamy August day involves 170-some high schoolers gathering for a full day of practice. A morning on the field gives way to rehearsal in the air conditioned band wing. The evening sees everyone assembled at the football stadium again for marching, blocking and sounding out.

"My brother Grant went to band camp the fall after we moved here and he said this is NOT normal," Hanson adds. "He was tired. I went to watch as I thought my brother was being dramatic. And then I saw how they moved constantly. You did not know where to look next."

If you need to find a high school musician around here, the band program is the place to start. Students log 12-hour days during the first week of August in a camp that sets the tone for the upcoming fall schedule.

Connell, the director here since 1975, can be found zipping from place to place on a golf cart, or sitting in the bleachers next to his beloved dog, Patches.

What's he like? the question draws chorus of laughter. The students love their leader.

"He's got a unique leadership quality," Schuiteman says, measuring his own words. "And he says he'll keep at it a long as he love it."

While the success is virtually unparalleled around here, there have been mishaps. Schuiteman recalls one musician taking a fall during a show at Sioux Falls two to three years ago. Two other musicians stumbled in his wake.

"We still got first," he says.

The band often does. The commitment, the energy, the involvement and the creativity take the Pride of the Dutchmen Marching Band to great heights. If it worth the trip to Orange City for the halftime show. (The football isn't bad, either.)

Connell, for his part, says the Rose Parade should be something his klompen (wood shoes) wearers will remember forever.

"It's just a dream come true," he says.