{M3 Video: Marching in the Orange Bowl »

OELWEIN - Presidential contenders looking to win in Fayette County could be up against some formidable opponents - ZZ Top and a high school marching band.

Playing with the bearded rockers during halftime of the Orange Bowl likely will be a once-in-a-lifetime experience for the "Pride of the Huskies," the 86-member Oelwein High School marching band. And it's not just the students counting down the days. Seemingly everybody in town knows about the trip.

The problem: The performance falls on the same day as the Iowa caucuses. It will prevent some seniors in the band from participating and could keep others at home.

The potential for lower voter turnout concerned Fayette County Democratic chairman Chuck Taylor enough that he'll bring in televisions to the caucus sites - no small accomplishment, he said. The key was assuaging concerns that news on the caucus results could influence voting.

"I've gotten permission to get a TV set in each room so they could watch the event at the caucus. Then people could stop the caucuses during halftime," he said.

Not everyone's convinced the performance will have a serious impact. Darla Kuhens, who has a son in the band, will chaperone the trip. She said those serious enough to caucus will show up, and for the rest, it will be a convenient excuse to stay home.

"I really don't think it will affect turnout," she said.

Dave Nagle, a former U.S. representative and ex-Iowa Democratic Party chairman, said the caucuses might even be over by the time halftime rolls around - likely around 8:30 or 9 p.m.

But if enough voters in Fayette County, population 20,996, do stay home, he said it might hurt Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama the most.

"The accepted view is that the higher the turnout the more it helps Obama; the less the turnout the more it helps other candidates," he said.

At least one longtime caucus-goer and Democratic activist won't be voting because of the Orange Bowl this year - Oelwein Mayor Larry Murphy. He'll be in Florida on Jan. 3 watching his son, a senior who plays xylophone.

While he wishes he could take part in the caucuses, he makes no apologies for missing them. For one, the trip is an Oelwein High School tradition. The band travels to a major bowl game every four years - the Alamo Bowl in 2004, and the Orange Bowl in 2000.

"As we tell the parties, we actually had our date picked before theirs," he said.

He figured there's about 25 students old enough to vote who will miss the caucuses, and about 20 of them were thinking about voting for Obama.

"These kids were really, really fired up about the chance to go to the caucuses for Obama," he said. "They're excited about the trip, too - it's just one of those conflicts."

His son, Brian Murphy, is one of those students. He has knocked on doors and handed out brochures in school on behalf of the Illinois senator and said he notices an enthusiasm for the candidate at school.

"There are quite a number of us who were kind of bummed about missing the caucuses," he said. "It's frustrating because in some ways it feels like the best opportunity to affect the election, because a lot of other states look to see how Iowa shakes out."

Contact Jens Manuel Krogstad at (319) 291-1580 or jens.krogstad@wcfcourier.com.

{M3On the Web

See why Oelwein High School marching band members are counting down the days to their Orange Bowl halftime performance at wcfcourier.com.