The drum rolls were crisp, the horns were in tune, the feet were in step, and the weather was… extremely hot.
‘Everything went really well,? said Lake Orion High School Marching Band Director Mike Steele, of the band’s trip to Washington D.C. over Memorial Day weekend.
‘But I would have loved it if it was about 20 degrees cooler,? he said.
The band was one of 14 from across the country invited to perform in the National Memorial Day Parade in the nation’s capital on May 29.
Steele said a couple of his students were close to dehydration, but compared to some of the other bands, his made it through the parade relatively unscathed by the heat.
‘Our kids played well,? he said, noting that he and other parents and staff heard a number of flattering comments from the audience.
‘Some even asked us if we were a college band,? he said.
The band was participant 56, out of over 160 in the parade, and that it took them a good quarter-mile of marching just to reach the beginning of the parade route.
They joined Lakeland High School as the only two bands from Michigan to perform in the 1.3-mile parade.
Steele said it took the band about 45 minutes to get through the parade route, but that other bands were still crossing the finish line up to an hour later.
He guessed that the temperature was around 90 degrees, with the humidity playing a huge factor.
‘A breeze would have been a godsend,? Steele said.
LOHS has 154 students on the trip, in addition to 26 parent volunteers and four staff members.
The group took chartered buses, and left Lake Orion the Friday before at midnight. They arrived back in Lake Orion at 5 a.m. on Tuesday, with students being excused from school that day (although Steele said some attended anyway).
A broadcast of the parade is available online at www.pentagonchannel.mil.
While in D.C., the band took advantage of some other opportunities, including placing a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, which Steele said was a big highlight of the trip.
‘We got a chance to see a number of the memorials,? he added, noting visits to the Marine Corps War Memorial, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial and the Korean War Veterans Memorial.
‘When we got back, another teacher said ‘it sounds like your trip was the ultimate social studies trip,?? Steele said.