GEORGE — Nearly 50 people were injured on Thanksgiving after a bus full of University of Washington Marching Band members rolled on Interstate 90 near George. After the crash George Elementary School was opened for the band members, who received Thanksgiving meals from concerned locals, food from the cafeteria at the school and other donations.

“Thank you so much to the parents and alumni of the University of Washington Husky Marching Band for their generosity. George Elementary has received over 70 packages of various school supplies in response to the support that the communities of George and Quincy gave to the Husky Marching Band when one of their buses flipped on Thanksgiving night,” stated the Quincy School District on its Facebook page.

The bus was a part of a caravan of six buses chartered by UW that were en route to the annual Apple Cup game in Pullman. The decision was ultimately made that the band would not continue its trip to Pullman. UW Marching Band members were grateful nevertheless for the tremendous outpouring of support they received during the ordeal.

“In the minutes and hours following the most terrifying event in the history of the band and certainly in my professional career, the stress, emotion and unfortunately, the pain, felt by 47 members of our family could have easily become completely overwhelming,” UW Director of Athletic Bands Brad McDavid said after the incident.

“However, from the first responders, to the local school district and community that took us in, to all of the posts that we began continually receiving, it began providing our students and staff with the strength to make it through the ordeal, particularly the initial hours.”

Richard Byrd can be reached via email at rbyrd@columbiabasinherald.com.