CV band, color guard to perform at inauguration parade

When President Barack Obama is inaugurated for his second term next month, a local marching band will represent Washington state in the parade.

The Central Valley High School marching band and color guard announced on its Facebook page Tuesday they will perform during the parade. While the application and selection process happened in the last couple of weeks, the band has been planning the trip for months. While there, they will also participate in a music festival in Baltimore.

Students and parents have been fundraising for the trip since the beginning of the year.

“(We want to) be a part of something that has only happened 51 times in history,” said band director Eric Parker in a story in October.

Along with its application, the band included letters of recommendation from Sen. Patty Murray and Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers.

“Anyone who thinks about it will say it’s a great opportunity,” Nathan Brown, a senior percussionist, said in the October article.