Despite two hurricanes and a week of missed classes, Wakefield High School’s marching band hosted their annual competition to raise funds on October 6, 2018. The afternoon was filled with fun, awards, concessions and of course music.  

Heart of Carolina is the band’s biggest fundraiser raiser of the year. It is also one of their only opportunities to perform for the Wakefield community.  

“For the band, it is our biggest fundraiser of the year and we have bands from all over the state that come to perform here,” Gabrielle Schuh, band drum major, said.  

The marching band is also the big finale, ending the night with a bang. “It is our chance to perform for our home crowd. We perform last and it is our one chance to perform when the audience is full,” Gabrielle said. 

This year, preparation was unusually slim due to the impact of hurricanes Florence and Michael.  

The hurricanes hit North Carolina on Sep. 9 and Oct. 10.  Bringing high wind speeds, flooding and lots of destruction. The effects caused Wake County schools to be closed for a few days.  

“We did not have much time to prepare,” Munoz said.  

The band pulled through, managing to create a spectacular event even under time restraints. 

Scarves, food, buttons and raffles were all sold at Heart of Carolina. There was also an entry fee for guests and competing bands. These sales are used to support band members of 2019. 

“We really rely on this to help bring down the cost. Every member needs to pay for marching band, so it is really important to bring down those costs,” Aiden Portnoy, rehearsal director, said. 

In addition, Heart of Carolina takes a long time to plan. “The process of preparing is almost a year in the making,” Brian Munoz, band director, said. The Heart of Carolina competition not only takes time but manpower as well. Band members, as well as many volunteers, come together to help set things up. However, requiring so many volunteers can be a burden. 

Thankfully, many of the students have supportive parents who are willing to volunteer.

“We usually need at least 10 to 20 people to prepare for this event,” Munoz said.  

Heart of Carolina went on without a hitch, being very successful.

“I was very pleased with the performance of the students, and I think they did a good job with all these things considered,” Munoz said. 

Heart of Carolina will continue to be a proud tradition for the Wakefield High School band.

“It gives us a feeling of community,” Schuh said.