A high school marching band from eastern Iowa will represent the state at the 2015 National Independence Day Parade in Washington D.C. While that’s about 11-and-a-half months away, fundraising is already underway to send the Davenport Central Marching Blue Devils to the nation’s capitol. Band director Alex Wilga says it’s a big honor — and a big band.

“We have 220 students in the band program, 141 are in the march band program and 100 are traveling to Washington D.C. with us,” according to Wilga.

The historic 4th of July parade goes down Constitution Avenue and along the National Mall. Wilga says it’s a tremendous honor to be selected.

“The only way that a group can participate is with congressional nomination,” Wilga says. “Thanks to Congressman Loebsack and his office, we were nominated to represent the state of Iowa. The other exciting and unique part is, there’s only one representative from each state.”

The band will be going from Davenport to D.C. by bus, leaving on July 1st of next year, returning home on the 6th, so Wilga says their time in Washington will be tightly scheduled and packed with educational opportunities.

“The 4th is really booked up with the performance and enjoying fireworks and the National Symphony Orchestra’s concert,” Wilga says. “The 3rd is hopefully a lot of sightseeing along the National Mall and hopefully, we get to visit Arlington National Cemetery.”

The band needs to raise $86,000 for the trip over the next year and is already launching money-raising events like car washes, trivia nights and pot luck suppers.