BUCKHANNON, W.Va. — In 2014, West Virginia Wesleyan College reinstated its marching band after a 40-year hiatus. In its fifth season under the director of Logan Lindsey, the band is a 96-member marching group covering wind instruments, drumline, color guard (flags) and twirlers. The group has made football game day on the Wesleyan campus into an enthusiastic array of music and spirit for students, families and community members.

In December, the Wesleyan band received a major funding boost toward the group’s next goal, to perform at festivals and other venues around the state. The Daywood Foundation awarded the marching band $50,000 for instrumentation and new uniforms. This gift and other donations has put the college within $15,000 of completing its uniform fund-raising goal.

Wesleyan’s marching band is an integral part of the college’s effort to build enrollment through the recruitment of creative artists. Last fall, the college attracted the largest cohort of creative artists in recent history. The band has also helped build enrollment in the school’s music department.

“We are extremely pleased about the growth of the marching band,” stated John Waltz, vice president for enrollment management. “Logan has done a terrific job of recruiting students from West Virginia and surrounding states. The band has a great sound and is has quickly become one of the school’s most popular campus groups.”

“We are immensely grateful for the gift support from the Daywood Foundation,” added Lindsey. “This gift will allow us to reach the goals we set when the band was reinstated five years ago. The group’s visibility will be heightened which will foster additional growth and our need for more funding.”

Donations of $500 or more will allow donors to have their names stitched inside the uniform. Contributions can be mailed to West Virginia Wesleyan College, Advancement Office, 59 College Avenue, Buckhannon, WV  26201 or online at www.wvwc.edu.