By Payton Tholstrup
Photos courtesy of Sal Cruz
Piotique will be held on September 27th in Clay Center, and once again, the Topeka High Drumline Performance Team will be there. The group is scheduled to perform at 10 a.m. in front of the downtown stage. They will also be in the parade at 11 a.m.
The team, made up of about 30 traveling members from both the band and drumline, requires students to audition for a spot. In total, 38 students are part of the program.
The drumline is led by Sal Cruz, a proud 1989 graduate of Topeka High who returned to the school to teach in 1993. Cruz credits his own former teacher, the late Steve Holloman, for inspiring him to take the drumline into the community.
“I would like to recognize Mr. Steve Holloman, who was my music instructor and Topeka High’s legendary band teacher, who we recently lost. It was Mr. Holloman who believed in me and changed my life through music. He mentioned to me years ago to take the Drumline into the community like he did with his THS Jazz Band,” Cruz said.
Cruz explained that more than just music goes into the team’s success. “Building relationships, memories, confidence, pride, and tradition is what goes into training the students and preparing them for a performance.”
With that tradition comes high expectations. Over the years, the drumline has performed all over the country and has been featured on Good Morning Kansas and WIBW Channel 13, where they received the Good Kids Award. They have even played for James Earl Jones and opened for the world-famous group STOMP. Other notable appearances include Disney World in Orlando, the Chicago St. Patrick’s Day Parade, and many more.
The Topeka High Drumline is known for its creativity and energy, blending traditional drumline with hip-hop flair. Past performances have included drummers playing on trash cans, bass drummers flipping upside down, and cymbal crashes so powerful they sometimes crack.
The group practices once a week for about an hour and a half, taking a break during the winter months. When the drumline first began performing in the community, they averaged just 5–10 shows per year. Today, they are booked almost every weekend for most of the year, traveling across Kansas and beyond.
Though they once performed over 100 times annually, Cruz said the group has scaled back to balance their busy schedule, especially with more out-of-town commitments. Still, Piotique remains a meaningful stop.
The drumline has performed at Piotique at least five times under Cruz’s leadership.
“We are honored to come and perform for you all!” he said.
