When a huge tornado flattened the small town of Greensburg on May 4, one of Mike Brummett’s first instincts was to ensure the safety of his 50 band students.

But then it was their tubas, trombones and piccolos.

After he made sure the kids and his friends were OK, he went to Greensburg High School the day after the tornado and found the roof collapsed on the band room. But the closet where the instruments were stored wasn’t in very bad shape.

“We only lost one clarinet out of all of our instruments,” Brummett said.

And although he’s expecting a hefty $7,000 or $8,000 repair bill, Brummett’s happy all of his students have a horn to toot, woodwind to blow or drum to tap.

The students do complain about the trailer from the Federal Emergency Management Agency that’s been turned into their temporary band room – it’s too small – but they’re all proud to be making music again.

“We’re fortunate we didn’t have to get all new (instruments),” said Jessica Eller, 14. “It’s kind of special to have something left.”

The band, which has combined with nearby Bucklin High School, had its first performance of the season Saturday in Lawrence.

“It’s nice to get away,” said Taylor Schmidt, a Greensburg High School junior.

As a part of Kansas University’s 60th annual Band Day, the band marched proudly down Massachusetts Street.

It joined 33 other high school bands from Kansas and Missouri who participated in the afternoon parade and performed during the halftime show of the KU-Southeastern Louisiana University football game at Memorial Stadium with the Marching Jayhawks, KU’s marching band.

Area groups that participated included Lawrence, Free State, Lansing, McLouth and Tonganoxie high schools.

During the parade, the Greensburg group wore red T-shirts and blue jeans and blared the school’s fight song, “On Wisconsin.”

“It’s really brought them together, especially here,” Jeff Whorton, a KU freshman and marching band member, said of the Greensburg group. “It’s showing the good part about (their) community.”

Eller marched in front, holding a sign that read “Greensburg says Thanks Kansas!” All of the students had signed it and hundreds of people cheered as they went by.

Four months after the Greensburg tornado, residents are still trying to get back on their feet. As they try to return things to normal, they seem to be mindful about not turning their backs on the people who have helped them through it.

“We appreciate it,” Schmidt said. “We’re so grateful.”

And the support is never-ending. Delta Chi fraternity at KU treated the band to lunch between the parade and football game.

A member of the fraternity and its house mother have close ties to Greensburg. They wanted to do something meaningful instead of donating money – “just reaching out to the community,” said house mother Ruth Hiss, a former teacher in Greensburg.

“It’s just a sad sight to see all the streets I used to walk on … it’s all just destroyed,” said Paul Westfall, a fraternity member who has family in Greensburg. “As long as I could do something for them … it just feels really good.”