Statement from the Theme Committee regarding the 1/31 Rescheduled Competition

To the Members of the Joseph A. Ferko String Band,

We have made the difficult decision to withdraw from the competition aspect of the String Band Spectacular on January 31.

There are a variety of factors that influenced this decision that ultimately led to our conclusion that we would not be putting our show, Soul Station, to justice on this rescheduled date. This situation is unprecedented in the 125-year history of the parade, and we would like to fully emphasize our understanding of our members’ and marshalls’ varied situations in being able to participate in rehearsals and the Spectacular itself. Between that, unfortuante timing with weather cutting back rehearsals significantly, among other complications, we have come to this conclusion.

We still anticipate participating in some meaningful way on January 31. Our participation as an exhibition band has been discussed, and we encourage all members to be on the lookout for information in the coming days regarding Ferko’s appearance at the event.

We are Ferko strong, and want to do everything in our power to promote the organization in a positive light. We look forward to seeing you all in the coming weeks, and invite you to reach out to any of us on the committee if you would like to talk about this decision or anything else pertaining to the organization. We also sincerely thank every member for their dedication to our 2026 show and the efforts put forward towards this rescheduled date. We are very disappointed that circumstances beyond our control are preventing Ferko from putting on the 2026 show as intended. We will continue to do everything in our power to put forward the best interests of the band in this challenging situation. 

Respectfully,
The Theme Committee of the Joseph A. Ferko String Band
Justin Fayette
Byron Friend
Matt Gibson
Jenny Jackson
Scott Ratzke
Michael Pezzeca