The band played on

Gleaming brass and purple T-shirts dazzled baseball fans as the Niwot Community Semi-Marching Free Grange Band played the national anthem at Coors Field Friday, July 29.

"It was really exciting," saxophonist Brenda Luksch said after the performance in left field. "I thought we did a good job." Luksch fills in as director from time to time, but was in the saxophone section for this performance as regular conductor Debbie Benson directed the band. Luksch isn't the only versatile member of the band, as baritone player Katie Warren switched to trumpet for the performance to make sure all the parts were covered.

More than 41,000 fans attended the game but Luksch said she wasn't nervous. The band has practiced and performed "The Star Spangled Banner" many times, most recently at the 4th of July Pancake Breakfast and parade in Niwot. This wasn't the first time the band had performed the anthem at a Rockies game, having performed at Coors Field in 2016.

The band had a hard act to follow after about 450 junior Broncos cheerleaders ages 6 - 12 danced for the crowd and streamed back down the tunnel as the band prepared to take the field. "We were pinned to the sides of the tunnel," trombone player Biff Warren said as a sea of little girls with orange pom poms made their exit.

Warren said the band was short two members at the last minute due to a flight delay and a positive Covid test. But they were able to add two new members with musical backgrounds at the last minute, thanks to tenor sax player Julie Daves who recruited a friend and a sister-in-law to play cymbals and tambourine, respectively. Tuba player Chris Doyle borrowed a large set of cymbals for the band, but Scott Barto, who played cymbals with the band as a Niwot High School student six years ago, suffered a sprained wrist and was limited to playing snare drum for the event.

Warren noted that Barto, who now directs the drumline at Niwot High School, collaborated with regular drummer Joe Kunches to come up with an impromptu drum cadence so the band could "semi-march" onto and off the field for the performance. The band rehearsed once with the new cymbal player, Ron Koscelnik, and the tambourine player, Jessie McMillin, in the parking lot before the game and the performance went smoothly.

The band gathered outside the stadium entrance before the game and played a short warm-up set of "Take Me Out to the Ball Game," "Hey Baby," "Rocky Mountain Way" and "Sweet Caroline."

Unfortunately, the Rockies lost 5-4 to the Los Angeles Dodgers, though they made it exciting in the 9th inning with a 2-run rally, leaving the tying run on second base as the last out was made.

The 25 band members got Rockies T-shirts, panama hats and some seats to the game. "I'm a big Rockies fan," Luksch said. "It was really fun."