In 1954 the Union High Band was invited to Huntington, WV for the State Band Festival. Carolyn Thurmond was band director and we found out that she was pregnant at the time and would not be marching with us. Carolyn asked Jack Flouer to drive her car and I rode with him. We were supposed to follow the school bus, but as we neared Peterstown on a long stretch of road, Jack lagged behind so we could try out the car. I think we got up to 100 MPH or so, which added a little excitement to the trip. We arrived in Huntington okay and proceeded to get into our housing. I had a brother going to college at Marshall, so we borrowed his car to ride around while everyone else walked the streets.

All went well until the parade. It was a very hot day and the band had to march a long way. Our band came to a halt under a railroad underpass and with the train going over us and the drums beating loudly, it was very noisy. A motorcycle cop was trying to pass us going to something ahead of us. He attempted to come straight through the middle of the band at a pretty fast speed. Some of the students heard him coming and jumped the wrong way, putting them in front of him. The cop laid the motorcycle on its side and slid through the front rows of our band, instruments flew and it seemed bodies went everywhere. The cop staggered over against the wall and said “What have I done?” He had a few scratches but amazingly no one was hurt, although some instruments were damaged. The Head Majorette blew the whistle to continue marching, so we lined up and continued the entire parade route.

I know this was not a funny story, but as time goes on, remembering this is a strange but true experience that is now hard to believe.

Louie Weikle
Class of 1956