Day 7: Band Camp is Over but the Bond of the Band Remains

Well, it was the last day of band camp. Sunday is always the most exciting and fun day out of the entire week since we have our performance and a day of fun after.

We started out today with my least favorite Reveille – the drum line. Kieran was fine until the third time they decided to play. I think that was a little unnecessary, but they seem to enjoy it. At least it was an hour later than usual. It probably woke up all of Interlochen.

Warm-up today for our performance started at 9 a.m. Everybody was wearing their new show shirts, including staff and chaperones. It’s great to see our entire team unified like this at the end of our long week. In our warm-up we just played a bit, ran through each section of the show, and then lined up for performance. We were worried for a bit because it started to rain, but thankfully the clouds left just before it was time to perform.

The band lined up on the street that leads down to our cabin area. Sections make sure their new members know how to do the “full swing” motions and the band gets in a block. This march to the field was the first official march that this year’s band did together. They looked great marching on to the field, and this moment always makes me very proud and often causes me to have to hold back a little tear. I love this moment where the new band makes its entrance as one unit. I also always love to watch the new junior drum major do their entrance and “full swing” as drum major for the first time.

Once the band was on the field, they played the school fight song and the Star Spangled Banner. This year I thought the Banner sounded better than ever. Then Elon went through a long list of thank yous, like every year. We are so thankful of all the people that volunteer with our band. There is no way we could do this without all of those people!

The show was great! It’s amazing how much we make of a performance that in actuality is only a few minutes long, but it’s one of the most important performances of the year. It’s great to have such a large crowd to come all this way just to watch a few minutes of a show. I got to watch from the scaffolding, which was great. The band sounds and looks pretty different from that perspective than they do while standing on the field.

After the show, many students go out to eat with their parents that had come up for the performance. We went to the dining hall, and took Matthias, our German exchange student on the golf cart for a special treat. He also had a taco for the first time. I hope he liked it!

Around 1 p.m. we loaded the buses to head to the Sleeping Bear Dunes to spend a few hours. There were about 10 kids who took the 3.5-mile dune hike out to Lake Michigan. I’ve done it a few times, and it’s pretty rough. This year I let Kieran crawl around in the sand, which he loved. Elon took the trip with a few students. After the designated meeting time, most of the band met at the top of the first dune and ran down together. This is a pretty fun sight to watch, and has been a Ferndale tradition for a very long time. We’ve even appeared in promotional material for this.

We had dinner at the Glen Harbor beachfront. They’ve made updates and it’s really nice. Unfortunately the bathrooms were closed this year, so we didn’t stay as long as usual. The lake was so beautiful though, and I always love going.

Paper plate awards just ended, and they lasted over two hours! Every year the kids make an “award” for every member of the band and chaperones. These awards are usually are based on quirky things that happen during the week, but some are based on long-held and very personal traditions. 

We’re about to hear the last Taps of the night. Seniors will get to stay up late with Elon and Ben. Usually they go to the field and play a few games, or sit around the fire and talk. Elon and Ben will stay up pretty late to make sure nothing fishy goes on! The kids have been great about this the last few years, and we thankfully don’t have much to worry about.

Tomorrow morning we will load the buses and head home. The seniors will have a heart-felt goodbye, which gives me chills thinking about it. Yes, we only spend one week a year here, but that one week is very special for all of us. We are a family, and I’m so thankful to have become part of this family. I’m so proud to be a Ferndale resident.

Please continue to join me throughout the season and watch us grow! See you Monday, Ferndale!