The Milaca High School Marching Wolves have been hard at work since the end of the school year preparing for parade season, with some members beginning practices as early as March.
This year, the band has been preparing its show titled “Homerun! Baseball and America!” with plans of debuting their performance during the Rum River Festival Parade in Princeton on Thursday, June 6.
The show is baseball themed with a musical medley of songs most recognizable from American baseball games such as “Take Me Out to the Ball Game,” “America the Beautiful,” and bits of the traditional “Shaker Song” arranged by the band’s director Andrew Nelson.
The drum line musical arrangement is by Nelson and Charlie Cooper.
Audiences can expect the show to hint at major historical baseball events from Minnesota, including the 1991 Minnesota Twins World Series appearance and victory at the end of the show.
“This music is addictive … and you’ll smile when you hear it and think of a warm and sunny day at the ballpark,” Nelson wrote.
This year, the band has two drum majors helping lead the band as they march down the streets: Jaydin Nelson and Chase Hoebelheinrich.
The color guard is under the direction of Christine Nelson, and the drum line is under the direction of Charlie Cooper.
Both the band and the color guard’s visual designs were developed by Andrew and Christine Nelson.
The Milaca High School Marching Wolves are known throughout the state for outstanding performances and have earned numerous first place and caption awards every season.
The focus of the ensemble is not competition, according to Andrew Nelson, but instead teamwork and camaraderie. The band’s motto is “Discipline, Pride, Success,” and it takes pride in being a big band from a small town.
The Marching Wolves are a co-curricular extension of the Milaca High School Band program. The program has nearly 500 members from fifth through 12th grade, with the high school band program featuring two concert bands, a jazz ensemble, pep band, numerous solo and ensemble activities, and the Marching Wolves.
The Milaca High School Symphonic Band has performed three times at the MMEA Mid-Winter Clinic, including a performance in February of 2024.
The Marching Wolves have multiple parade performances scheduled throughout June, with the first at the Rum River Festival Parade.
Some of the other parades the band will perform in are in the cities of Litchfield, Milaca, Foley, Buffalo, Sauk Rapids, and Alexandria.
To learn more about the Milaca music program, visit https://www.milaca.k12.mn.us/page/2870.
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