Chimacum band gets opportunity to perform

Published 1:30 am Tuesday, July 7, 2026

The Chimacum High School Band traveled 2,350 miles to march down Constitution Avenue in Washington, D.C., for America’s 250th birthday.

They never got the chance, but they found another way to be heard.

When record-breaking heat forced organizers to scrap the capital city’s National Independence Day Parade at the last minute, the Chimacum Cowboys joined three other bands from across the country for an impromptu concert at the National Museum of the U.S. Army at Fort Belvoir, Va., on the Fourth of July.

Chimacum’s 44-member band was joined by about 250 other student musicians — the Arcadia Apaches of Arcadia, Calif., the Appleton East Patriots of Appleton, Wis., and the Boca Raton Bobcats of Boca Raton, Fla. — for a nearly hour-long performance in the museum’s lobby on Saturday afternoon.

The parade had been canceled late Friday after the National Weather Service issued an extreme heat warning. On the Fourth of July, the temperature in Washington was expected to reach 103 degrees — the hottest July 4 on record — with the heat index climbing to between 107 and 112.

Jackson Colcord, whose son, Skyler Albert, plays trombone in the band, said the school got the word about 10:30 p.m.

Band director Daniel Ferland, parents and chaperones gathered the students, treated them to ice cream and then delivered the bad news.

To get to the parade, the band had raised $150,000 — through donut sales, a benefit concert and raffle tickets. Puget Sound Express had donated $25,000, and the Port Townsend Eagles and Bradley-Kosec Funeral Home and contributed too.

At the time, it looked like the trip would be remembered for all the wrong reasons.

“They took it really hard,” Colcord said.

The scramble to find a new place to perform began that night, but finding a venue in Washington at the last minute on a major holiday weekend was no small task.

“You need a permit for everything,” Colcord said.

Through U.S. Rep. Emily Randall’s office, they learned the Army museum might be an option. A parent borrowed the keys to Colcord’s rental car and drove there to make the group’s case in person.

When Chimacum received approval, the Boca Raton band, which was staying in the same hotel, signed on, and Arcadia and Appleton joined them for the trip to Fort Belvoir.

“They welcomed us with open arms,” Colcord said. “The museum staff had it all organized. It was a completely unrehearsed performance that went together to perfection.”

Afterward, the bands hung out together.

“Students got together, swapping pins, and they started making friends,” Colcord said.

Although the trip didn’t unfold as planned, he said it was one the students will remember.

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Reporter Paula Hunt can be reached by email at paula.hunt@peninsuladailynews.com.