By BRITTANY FHOLER
Cove Leader-Press
The Copperas Cove High School Pride of Cove Band and Color Guard Booster Club held its third annual Marching 5K and Fun Run Saturday morning, with a little Disney magic this year, drawing costumed participants from across the community for a morning of music, prizes, and fundraising.
The event, which originated when a senior student proposed it as a fundraiser two years ago, has grown into a beloved tradition and has seen an increase in participants each year.
This year’s Disney theme was chosen by the students themselves, following the band and color guard’s recent trip to Walt Disney World over Spring Break.
The Marching 5K and Fun Run featured a costume contest, Disney music, and competitions for Disney-themed prizes throughout the morning, as participants made their way around the track at Bulldawg Stadium.
Booster Club president Julie Moser said that what stood out the most to her was the way the event has spread beyond just being something for band and color guard students.
“What this year that I’m most impressed about is that it’s not just band and guard kids here – there’s community members here, there’s teachers out here, there’s some non-attached to CCISD people out here,” Moser said. “It’s just really nice that it’s getting out and the word is spreading that this is a community event.”
Funds raised through the 5K help support the high school band and guard program, which currently enrolls approximately 220 students.
The 5K is one of the main fundraisers for the Booster Club, according to Moser.
“As we fundraise throughout the year, we need to have enough money to cover everything that we do in the summer for summer camp, whether it’s feeding the kids, paying for a prop, or just giving them a good experience,” Moser said.
A significant portion of the funds go to scholarships, as well.
“We give out $14,000 in scholarships- that’s between the college students, the summer camps, individual summer camps, leadership camps and private lessons, and that’s all the way from the junior high up,” Moser said. “We want our community to know that we are doing things that go back into all of our bands from sixth grade all the way to 12th grade. We pride ourselves in being able to help support and supplement things the band director might need during marching season, or if we need to have extra snacks for them, anything of that nature, so that’s what we do.”
Sponsors of this year’s event included The Bandwagon, Raising Cane’s, Walmart, and new sponsor Stoner’s Pizza. The Bandwagon also provided the event shirts and offers instrument repair services for the program, traveling from Dallas to service instruments on-site.
Looking ahead, Moser said the Band will be kicking off the First Step camp soon, where incoming ninth graders and returning students, will have a class about basic fundamentals and what it means to be part of the band and to reenergize the students before summer vacation starts. The band is also holding their marching show reveal next week at the Lea Ledger Auditorium. The complete CCHS band will be donning their brand-new marching uniforms, which were funded by the CCISD board of trustees and will be the first new set of uniforms for the band in a while.
The band also celebrated recent success at the UIL Concert and Sight-Reading evaluation, where ensembles earned a combination of superior and excellent ratings across the board.
“They don’t stop when football stops. That’s where a lot of people don’t realize that,” Moser said. “They worked really hard, and the boosters were out there for two days with them, making sure everything is going left, right, left, for all the schools that came in our area, to host them.”
Community members who want to support the Pride of Cove Band and Guard are encouraged to attend upcoming fundraisers. For updates on events, show reveals, and UIL results, follow the Pride of Cove Band and Guard Booster Club on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/theprideofcove/.
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