The Southridge Marching Ensemble from Beaverton performed a program titled "Sundance."

Alas, it was not to be.

Shortly after the noon performance by the 2008 champions , the dark clouds circling Reser Stadium dumped a drenching, relentless rain on all the bands that followed.

Marching bands from 23 high schools in Oregon, Washington and Idaho competed in the 2009 Northwest Association for Performing Arts Championships. No schools from Linn or Benton counties were represented. The Oregon State University Marching Band hosted the event.

"We do better in the rain," said Shelbey Wright, a sophomore in the color guard with the Grants Pass Marching Band, which took second place in last year's competition. "Maybe it's because we're trying harder."

"Make sure you're moving your fingers," said Evan Daggett, the band's percussion instructor, passing out paper towels.

Members of the drumline took shelter under a narrow overhang while they waited to take the field. The rain poured harder.

"It's nerve-racking, but we've been in worse," sophomore Kate Fertenbaugh said.

"The best feeling is when you're waiting to go on," Wright said.

Parents huddled under blankets and umbrellas.

Stoic and soaked, the players shook the rain from their shiny visors and escorted the xylophones and big bass drums down the slippery ramp to the field.

"Molly," Brenda Bollet yelled from the bleachers to her daughter on the field.

The program, titled "Stained Glass," starts with a voiceover. A young woman is on the phone talking to her husband, who is on the 105th floor of the World Trade Center.

"They met when they were 16," said Anna Mix, a junior in the color guard, reciting the true story.

The girls wave blue, purple, orange, yellow and red flags; they twirl sabers and rifles. One drops a flag. One saber slips.

In the closer, the band does nine sets of 11 counts.

It's not something everyone will notice, but the band knows the rhythm and the colors tell a story.

The Grants Pass Marching Band is one of six high school bands invited to perform in the 2010 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City.

On a rainy afternoon in Corvallis, they'll wait for the preliminary results. If they advance, they'll put on their wet uniforms and return to the field.

"We love it," a drummer called out.