By Dan Karpiel

The Surveyor

After several weeks of worry and frustration, good news came down regarding the Berthoud High School (BHS) marching band trailer that was stolen from its place in the BHS parking lot sometime in late August.

The trailer has been recovered, however, its contents, which included the drum major podium and the school’s logos that decorated the outside of the trailer, are as of yet still missing. BHS officials reported the theft to the Larimer County Sheriffs Office (LCSO) upon discovery that the trailer was missing, which happened around the time of the beginning of the school year.

“It is with great relief and excitement that I get to share with you that the marching band trailer, which went missing in late August, has been returned to Berthoud High School, thanks to the work of the Larimer County Sheriff’s Office and other local law enforcement agencies,” said Sean Hedding, BHS band director, in a press release provided by the LCSO.

The thief(s) who pilfered the trailer were able to sell it online, and the buyer, whose identity will not be released by the LCSO, attempted to register the trailer in Greeley and there upon discovered it was a stolen item.

Hedding confirmed the trailer was still in “good, working condition,” and the exterior logos as well as the drum major podium and several other pieces of smaller equipment that belonged to the BHS band were missing upon the trailer’s recovery.

While the LCSO directed BHS officials to not publicly comment on the trailer’s theft immediately following its initial reporting, word spread through the Berthoud community. A group of parents and other concerned community members quickly convened a fundraiser at City Star Brewing, where the brewery donated $1 from every beer sold to the BHS marching band while Northern Colorado Credit Union, Rise Artisan Bread, Christine Torres-Realtor and Nola Snowballs also made sizable donations.

Even with the trailer’s recovery, Hedding expressed his utmost gratitude to the Berthoud community and said the outpouring of support will be used to further his program’s development. “I cannot thank the Berthoud Community enough for its support,” Hedding said.

Said Hedding via the press release, “The Marching Band will use the funds that were generated by the community to replace the logo/stickers and the drum major podium that was inside (we actually need to purchase two of these at ~$1,000 each to account for our growing program). After these expenditures, any remaining funds will be used to help purchase sound equipment for the marching band so that we can continue putting on the best performances for our hometown at Friday night games and continue making progress and continue making progress on our goal of returning to the Marching Band State Championship.”