The rich tradition of one of Iowa’s premiere marching bands starts Monday.

The Pella Marching Dutch open camp with several other bands and fall athletic teams across the state of Iowa following a new “dead week” implemented by the state’s governing board for high school extracurricular and co-curricular activities.

Director of Pella Bands Dameon Place says he’s excited to welcome nearly 200 students to this year’s show. Place says there are plenty of opportunities to see the Marching Dutch this fall, including a returning community performance that started last year due to some dropped performances related to the pandemic. That special show will be held at home on Saturday, September 18th, when they hope to present the full march for the first time. Additionally, the Marching Dutch Invitational will return on September 25th and the Iowa High School Music Association State Contest is on the morning of October 16th.

Hear more about the Pella High School Marching Dutch on the Let’s Talk Pella podcast.

A mattress fundraiser to support the Marching Dutch returns on Saturday, August 21st from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Pella High School’s East Gym.