Sisters bands perform in Portland

After Sisters High School band students finished their final exams for the trimester, they filled two buses to head for some performances in Portland.

The SHS Concert Band was invited to the Lewis and Clark Invitational Band Festival, hosted annually for the high school bands in Oregon and Washington that have been most successful over previous years.

Sisters was the only 3A band participating in the event on Friday and Saturday, March 7-8, yet was one of only seven of the 30 bands attending that performed at a level high enough to qualify for participation in the State Band Festival in May.

The Lewis and Clark festival hosted a special 3A session on the following Monday, but the Sisters band was particularly interested in participating in the 4A portion of the festival.

According to band director Jody Henderson, it turned out to also be a great opportunity to perform at an event where many reputable 4A bands were present.

Equally as exciting was the performance opportunity presented to the SHS Pep Band on Thursday night as they performed at the Rose Garden for the Portland Trailblazers game against the Philadelphia 76ers.

Even though the Blazers disappointed fans with a 30-point loss, the SHS Pep Band energized a large crowd on the arena concourse at halftime, creating a lot of attention for the school with great sounds and a large banner boasting '"Sisters High School."

Hundreds of people gathered, making a concert setting out of the halftime break.