Coastal tradition showcases campus teams, skills

After months of practice and preparation, color guard and percussion took to the streets to show off their routine at the 73rd annual Pismo Beach Clam Festival, Oct. 19. Both teams marched down the avenues of Pismo Beach to showcase skills and techniques. 

While the festival possesses a long history as one of the premier annual events on California’s Central Coast, it is a relatively new tradition for the campus color guard and percussion groups. The teams attend the festival for a second time, marking the beginning of a year of performances and shows.

Senior Shauna Howard joined color guard in seventh grade and continues to perform in team events.  Though new members have joined the color guard team this year, Howard applauds the way the new recruits conducted themselves throughout the parade. 

“I think our team did really well,” Howard said. “It was a very windy parade which made tosses more difficult, but everyone adjusted to the wind and rocked it. We spent a lot of time learning the routines and helping each other out, which I think brought a lot of strength to our bond as a team.”

In the following tweet, color guard performs their routine along to percussion’s song, “Big Boy Rumble” during the Pismo Clam Festival, Oct. 19.

Percussion and color guard perform in the Pismo Clam Festival, Oct. 19. Marching in their first parade of the year, students will next perform in the Fresno Veterans Day Parade, Nov. 11. #thefeather @fresnochristian @CityofPismo pic.twitter.com/DiUmSax142

— The Feather Online (@thefeather) October 19, 2019

The festival provides an array of entertainment such as live music, a local clam chowder contest and commercial and food vendors. Friends and family gather across the state to spend three days taking in the coastal atmosphere.

As the only male member of the color guard team, Brennan Tozlian reflected on the experience everyone had performing in the parade. Tozlian represents the school for a fourth year on the color guard team.

“Everyone worked great together and carried out their parts well,” Tozlian said. “This year’s squad is unlike last years as there are so many new people, but I think each member brings a new light to the team. Overall, I had a really fun time performing with my teammates.”

In the following podcast, Jewel Chandler interviews David Casuga about percussions presentation at the Pismo Beach Clam Festival.

Four-year percussion teacher David Casuga takes pride in his students as they performed songs like “Big Boy Rumble” and “Turbo Mouse” in the Pismo parade. As this year’s campus percussion team presents new faces, Casuga praises the hard work they’ve put into their performance.

“This is probably the most amount of students who have joined my class for the first time,” Casuga said.  “This year I only have two returning students, the rest are completely brand new to music in general. It’s been interesting having that many fresh faces come in, and inspiring to see how hard they worked and what we’ve been able to accomplish in the short time we’ve been marching.”

Following the Pismo Clam Festival, students prepare for the annual Veterans Day Parade held at Old Town Clovis, Nov. 11. Though percussion will not attend the event, color guard and band improve their routines for the local showcase. 

For more articles, check out Top campus tennis players compete, lead team toward Valley title and Year of the Student Journalist concludes, young voices speak out.

Jewel Chandler can be reached via email and Twitter.