The Wenatchee High School Golden Apple Band placed first in Division 2, and received Best Percussion, Best Music and Best Drum Major at the Sunset Festival of Bands in Sumner on Oct. 26.

The GA Band has steadily accumulated awards throughout its competition season. On Oct. 19, the band competed at the Harvest Festival of Bands and received Best Marching and Best Music, as well as second place in the 3A division. The GA Band received the most awards at the Tumwater Festival of Bands, earning Best Percussion, Best Brass and Winds, and Best Marching.

“We’ve had a pretty successful season so far,” said junior Andy Johnson. “We keep improving with every practice.”

The band competes in five competitions a year, with the final competition on Nov. 9 in Auburn. The Auburn Veterans Day Marching Band Competition features the largest Veterans Day parade west of the Mississippi River. This is the largest competition that the GA Band competes in.

Erin Wisemore, a sophomore section leader in band, believes Auburn will be a success.

“It’s an all-day thing. When we get there we do warmups, like stretches, tuning and getting prepared,” said Wisemore. “We spend all this time getting ready for the 10 minutes on the field.”

“We’ve made a lot of improvement since the first competition,” said Wisemore. “I’m very hopeful.”

The GA band practices on Mondays and Thursdays from 6 to 9 p.m. After competing at Auburn, the band will prepare for the Winter Concert on Dec. 11 at 7 p.m. in the WHS auditorium.