Again I start this post with an apology. I'm a few days behind schedule posting about the big event of the weekend--the return of the Westerville Invitational marching band competition.
Along with all of the other firsts that the North Marching Band was tackling this season, coordinating and presenting this OMEA competition was a big first on the list. Saturday, October 5 was a big target on the calendar--as a way to promote the marching band, as a celebration of the hard work put forth by the students and the staff, and as a fundraiser.
We worked with our co-hosts--the Boosters, parent volunteers, and staff of Westerville South to put the whole day together and I think that it went well. We had an impressive program of many bands from the region, we had good crowds, and I think the hospitality that was presented to all was to the level that we envisioned. (Admittedly, I personally spent much of my day in the parking lot so I didn't see a lot of the face-to-face interactions. But what I heard after the fact was positive.)
Thanks go to all of the planning team members of Westerville South and Westerville North, to the marching band staffs of both schools, to the army of parents and students from the North and South families who made it all go. You showed up to set things together, you were there all day cooking food, selling tickets, answering questions, dealing with problems, making quick adjustments, and filling in where necessary. And then you stayed after to clean, reset, and begin another week in the busy month of October.
Finally, of course, I need to pause to recognize the members of the North marching band who spent their day hosting, helping, and doing whatever was asked of them. And then they went out and performed "Heart" for the crowd and for the judges. They earned a qualifying Superior rating that earned them a spot in the OMEA state finals later this competition season. And that is the memory that will carry on from this day. The happiness on the students faces when they heard the announcement. And their celebration around the Victory Bell.