The Westlake Marching Festival 

History

Westlake Marching Festival celebrates its 25^th anniversary in 2001.  Introduced in 1977* as a fundraiser for the Westlake High Band, the Festival*quickly became one of the premiere marching exhibitions in Texas.  It still serves as a proving ground for all participant bands before their UIL performances.

In 1977, the first Festival drew 18 bands, from Class B Navarro to Class 4A Crockett*.  Attendance soared to 52 bands just four years later.  In recent years, 30 to 40 bands from central and south Texas have participated, and the Festival’s popularity has spurred the development of other regional marching contests.

Sam Knepley, one of the first parent organizers of the Festival, believes that the event was successful “because the bands were treated right, all day.”  Westlake Band Parents have continued that volunteer hospitality for 25 years:  They have tried to anticipate the bands’ needs, from bus parking to warm-up rooms to continuous food service to videotapes of the performances.  Some parents return to help years after their students have graduated. 

In addition to music and marching, weather has played a significant part in the Festival.  Alice Niven, whose child participated in the original event, recalls that the first Festival was “so hot we ran out of Cokes”--a real crisis when eating establishments were far from the high school.  A few years later, so much rain fell that the marchers’ shoes sank into the mud of the playing field. This prompted the installation of artificial turf, which now provides a smooth surface for the performers.  Westlake High Band Director Kerry Taylor remembers a year when fog confounded the judges:  “It was so thick we could not see the back third of the field…Often we would hear music but not see a band until it crossed the whole field.  The judges were ‘in the dark.’ ”

As Westlake Marching Festival enters its 25^th year, the WHS Bands and Band Parents welcome all participants to a tradition of excellence and enjoyment in any weather.

* Special Thanks to:

Maria Abernathy for the history and Miles Abernathy for scanning the archival newspaper articles and photos.
The Austin American Statesman for permission to use articles and photos from their Nov. 3, 1977 and Nov. 10, 1977 editions.