MIDDLETOWN — An area high school marching band is gearing up for a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity: performing at the Presidential Inauguration.
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The Middletown High School marching band and cheerleaders will play at the presidential inauguration on Monday. The students told News Center 7 that they’re looking forward to hitting the nation’s capital during inauguration day and making their presence felt.
“We get to go back on the field we get to go show the world what Middletown High School’s marching band is,” Nathan Bennett, a junior, said.
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As reported on News Center 7 at 5:30, their performance will include two songs with the band and cheerleaders marching as a unit.
“We’re not usually walking when we’re performing, so that’s the hard part is making some adjustments,” Kayla Wandsnider, Middletown’s cheerleading advisor, explained. “The other two are brand new, so we are just working together to try and collaborate and get those ready for next week.”
The opportunity is all part of a special invite from Vice President-elect and Middletown native J.D. Vance.
For students, it’s a moment that will not be forgotten anytime soon.
“I almost fell to my knees I was so excited,” Bennett said. “I immediately called my mom and said, ‘I don’t know if you read the email yet, but we get to go.’ She was kind of hesitant because of safety and things of that nature, but I was like, ‘Mom, I got to go.’”
The is becoming a community endeavor with more than $170,000 to pay for the trip coming from private and state funding. Nearly 160 people, including band members and cheerleaders, will head out to Washington, D.C. by bus early on Sunday morning. They’ll return on Tuesday.
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