With a dash of oom-pah-pah and some French accents, the Wolverine Marching Band competed in Grand Junction yesterday for the Colorado Bandmasters Association Western Slope regional competition.

This is the first of three competitions for the band for the 2015 season. They will compete in Albuquerque at the University of New Mexico’s Zia Marching Festival on Saturday, Oct. 24 and the state competition in Pueblo on Monday, Oct. 26

In addition to the audience, the band will perform before seven judges at each competition. Each judge critiques a specific aspect of the show (music individual, or visual general effect, for example). These scores are compiled into a numerical score to determine placement. The band hopes to score a 50.0 or higher to make their way to the top, which would be competitive with strong rival 1A bands Cedaredge and Monte Vista.

This year’s marching show is titled “Backpacking Through Europe” and features dancer Sydney Milner following the traditional path of an American student exploring the old continent. The band emphasizes the theme of each country through creative and intuitive drill, choreography and music.

Along her way, the band serenades her with “Toreador Song” from Carmen in Spain and “La Vie En Rose” representing France. A percussion feature “Funiculi Funicula,” takes her through Italy, and she finishes at Germany’s Oktoberfest with “Beer Barrel Polka.” On her journey, she is approached by men (played by members of the band) from each country to win her heart. Ultimately, though the European gentlemen are charming, she makes her own choice.

Drum Majors Tierzah Smith and Lenka Doskocil led the Wolverines onto the field of competition in Grand Junction at 1 p.m. on Thursday.

There are 68 members in the band this year, including 20 athletes from all sports at BHS, and one student from Ignacio High School. The Marching Wolverines are directed by Derek C. Smith, with assistance from Rachel Phelps, John Patton, and drill team coach Sharon Hunter.

Savannah Kaufmann is a sophomore at Bayfield High School and a member of the Marching Wolverines.