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1977 Article on the Westlake Marching Festival

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A Short History of the Westlake Marching Festival

Under threatening skies and in oppressive heat, eighteen marching bands from throughout Texas inaugurated the Westlake Marching Festival in 1977. What began as one of the first high school marching festivals in the state has since become one of the most popular and respected ones.

Former Westlake High School band director Lee Boyd Montgomery deserves much of the credit for nurturing the WMF from a basic idea in the spring of 1977 into a reality the following fall, according to Bess Knepley, Sam Knepley, and Alice Niven. As members of the Westlake Band Parents, they collaborated with Mr. Montgomery to implement his concept: an opportunity for marching bands to have judges evaluate their performances, while raising money for the Westlake band program. “It was set up mainly for a pre-UIL contest, where the bands could come in and get some criticism and some ideas to go to work for their competition in UIL,” explained Mr. Knepley. Additionally, because the band had just returned from a trip to Japan and anticipated other major trips, it was essential that the festival generate a profit to help fund future travel expenses.

The first WMF achieved both of its goals. The bands that participated obviously thought it was successful “because they came back and brought their friends the next year,” Mrs. Niven commented. Unexpectedly high demand at the concession stands, which were stocked with drinks, hot dogs, and home-made sandwiches and desserts the band parents contributed, kept Mrs. Niven and her husband, Jim, scrambling all day but assured financial success.

Many aspects of the festival have changed through the years. The number of participating bands has ranged from the initial 18 to more than 50, leveling out at about 30. Preliminary and final rounds have replaced a single-round format, and Color Guard and percussion competitions have been added. The stadium, press box, concession stands, and the bands, themselves, have increased in size. Musicians develop complex formations while playing a broad range of music, instead of basic geometric shapes and traditional marches.

Other aspects have remained constant, however. Top-notch judges offer meaningful critiques, and each band takes home a video of its performance for further review. Successful contestants win large trophies that their schools proudly display. Band members consume mass quantities of soft drinks and water, not to mention food. Community support remains strong, having grown from a funeral home’s much-welcomed donation in 1977 of a tent for use as a first aid station – a donation that Mrs. Knepley still recalls with much appreciation. Hundreds of Westlake parents and students, joined by friends and relatives, work from before daylight until long after the last bus has left, to assure a valuable experience for all festival participants.