On Oct. 12, Orange City held the 21st Annual Dutchmen Field Championships. Comprised of 25 bands from Iowa, S.D., Minn. and Neb., the event was a day’s worth of marching band spectacular and Midwest musical talent.
The annual event is held at Northwestern College’s home Korver Field and is hosted by Orange City’s MOC Floyd Valley high school, though they themselves do not compete in the event.
The preliminary portion of the competition began at ten in the morning with 25 bands. After several hours and the deliberation of multiple judges. This was whittled down to the finals, consisting of just eight bands. These top eight were as follows: Spirit Lake High School, Waverly High School, West Lyon High School, Columbus High School, Mitchell High School, Bellevue East High School, Lincoln High and Jefferson High School. In the end, Lincoln High School from Sioux Falls, S.D. finished in first place.
Music education major, Olivia Hartlep, who attended the Dutchmen Field Championship this year, speaks highly of the event. “The atmosphere is so fun,” Hartlep said. “They do little games during breaks like band mom and band dad dance competitions which are quite entertaining. By not going to watch the Dutchmen Field Championship, people are missing out on some beautifully prepared shows and very talented musicians!”
As a past member of her high school’s marching band, Hartlep especially appreciates the camaraderie between schools, “The stands are packed almost all day with schools supporting each other as they compete in this often overlooked extracurricular,” Hartlep said. Able to speak to the efforts required to compete in such an event, Hartlep also remembers the perseverance and rewarding satisfaction that the students must have felt: “The students work hard and give up much of their summer to prepare for this! It is no small task and many people don’t know what goes into it,” Hartlep said. “Hot summer days and early mornings before school are the only times they have to rehearse and so to get a crowd that is cheering them on is so important to them. It shows that all their hard work paid off.”
Of course, there is also the remarkable success that these high school musicians are seeing through this championship. Hartlep notes, “This year it was so cool to watch the Lincoln High School marching band perform their ‘The Big Apple’ show as they prepare to head to New York City to be a part of the 98th Annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade!” Congratulations to these talented students and the exciting opportunity to take their music to such an outstanding event!
Orange City’s own MOC Floyd Valley High School, who does not compete in the event, still participated by performing at the tail-end of the competition, still displaying their musical talent and students’ hard work while remaining the humble hosting school. Finally, MOC Floyd Valley concluded the event with a magnificent firework show seen from all around town to thank everyone involved in making this year’s Dutchmen Field Championship possible!
Make sure to mark your calendars for Oct 11, 2025, as to not miss the next exciting Annual Dutchmen Field Championship!
Northwest Iowa schools represented the area well.
