Copperas Cove band booster club hosts Disney-themed marching 5K fundraiser

Disney characters, family costumes and a Saturday-morning crowd turned 702 Joe Lombardi Wy. into a fundraiser for Copperas Cove High School’s Pride of Cove Band and Color Guard, as the booster club staged its third annual Marching 5K and Fun Run. What started as a senior student’s idea two years ago has grown into a recurring community event that now draws supporters from across Copperas Cove.

The Pride of Cove Band and Guard Booster Club used the race to do more than build school spirit. Its mission is to provide resources, funding and community engagement that enhance student experiences and promote excellence in music and performance, and that support reaches into the practical costs that make a large marching program work. In a prior school year, the club bought more than $1,000 in supplies and building materials for a marching season show. It also helps cover bus transportation when the Pride of Cove band goes to Disney World for competition every four years.

The event’s Disney theme helped give the fundraiser a family-friendly feel, with participants encouraged to dress for the occasion and join in the music, prizes and early-morning activity. Related event listings have branded the fundraiser as the Pride of Cove Marching 5K - A Magical Musical Fun Run!, while another Pride of Cove 5K listing in 2025 used a DECADES theme, showing how the booster club has kept the event fresh from year to year.

That flexibility matters for a program as large as Pride of Cove. A 2024 report said the Copperas Cove High School band and color guard had more than 200 students, a size that brings real logistical demands for uniforms, instruments, show materials, transportation and competition expenses. Copperas Cove High School’s event calendar also has tied the booster club’s 5K to the district’s Festival of the Arts, underscoring how deeply the band program is woven into local school life.

For one morning, the race gave families a way to support students while enjoying a community event. For the band and color guard, it added another round of funding to keep performances moving and a large student organization on the field, on the road and in front of Copperas Cove.