The Night the Lights Went Out in Epworth

The WDHS Marching Band’s annual Light Show could not have come at a better time. The Light Show offered not only entertainment in its explosion of color but also a beautiful distraction to those worried about the local power outage during the football game on Oct. 7.   

Photograph by Brad Prier
Story by Brad Prier

It was the last home game for Western Dubuque Football and everything was going well. The teams had just completed a play, and the players were tying their shoes, looking around at the full crowd, and discussing the next play. Then, the lights went out!  If it had not been for the hundreds of glow-stick bracelets, the whole stadium would have been pitch black. The crowd screamed and the players were confused. As children ran trying to get back to their moms and dads, the police were on their way trying to keep everyone calm. Alliant Energy worked on fixing the power outage that had been caused by a student hitting a power line pole. As this was all happening, the Western Dubuque Marching Band arrived to perform their light show. It was a spectacular performance, and, not too long after, the lights came back on. Subsequently, the players warmed up again, and the game resumed. The Bobcats lost the game, but it was indeed a game that no one will soon forget.