Niwot Community Band to play National Anthem at Rockies game

This Friday, July 29, the Colorado Rockies face the LA Dodgers at Coors Field in Denver, and the Niwot Community Semi-Marching Free Grange Band is scheduled to perform the National Anthem to open the game.

Since its founding on July 4, 2005, at the dedication of the bandstand at Whistle Stop Park, the band has always had its collective eye on interesting local venues. The band is a regular at Niwot events, including the 4th of July celebration, the "Why Not Niwot?" Juried Art Show, Enchanted Evening, and the Holiday Parade. The band has also performed at Niwot High School ball games as a pep band. Over the years they've ventured out of Niwot to play at places such as the Christkindl Market in Denver, a Habitat for Humanity event in Firestone, and a nursing home in Longmont.

The Rockies game will serve as a warm-up for the band's performance at National Night Out on Tuesday, Aug. 2 on Murray Street, as well as a Rock & Rails opening performance on Aug. 18 at 5 p.m. at Whistle Stop Park.

This isn't the band's first ballgame- the band made its debut at Coors Field back in 2016, and members enjoyed the experience so much that they applied to play again this year. Biff Warren (trombone), one of the original band members, described the experience of auditioning for the gig. "We had to send them an audition CD to let them know what we sounded like, and it was apparently good enough for them."

Due to overwhelming demand and restrictions due to COVID, the band hasn't been able to make it back to the ballpark until now. The park has recently started opening back up to groups performing the National Anthem, and the Niwot Community Band will be returning this year for their encore performance.

Warren went on to describe how fitting it was that the band is playing for the first home stand since former Niwot High School student and baseball player Skyler Messenger was drafted and signed to play with the Rockies organization. "I talked to him tonight and he's down in Arizona at the Rockies' complex," Warren said. "We'll be sure to let the Rockies know we're Skyler Messenger fans on Friday."

When it comes to familiar faces, you're bound to run into plenty of them walking around the stadium on Friday. Niwot Community Connection members got in on the discounted ticket price to take in the tunes and enjoy the ballgame, and many Niwot residents have already purchased tickets to enjoy the night together in Denver.

Regardless of where you are in the stadium, those with a trained eye can catch director Debbie Benson and the rest of the band set up in left center field in front of the scoreboard during their performance that always starts with a telltale drumroll, and you can catch up with the band members, family, and friends in the lower level by the 3rd-baseline watching the rest of the game.