Marching to the Beat of Different Drummers

So, as a first-time cavalcader, all I can say is wow.

Saturday night my wife and I attended the Boyertown Cavalcade of Bands to see our son and his band-mates perform and it was a strange and wonderful experience.

Some of the arrangements were truly, truly more elaborate than I could have imagined.

As a history buff, I confess to being partial to Pottsgrove's show this year, which is built around the

Pottsgrove did well in last year's cavalcade

Gettysburg Address.

But as someone fast-approaching 50, I was also a sucker for Pottstown's classic rock show. That was my music out there.

Also strange was the band brown shirt, a woman who kept me standing at the top of the stairs until one band's performance was completed while my Dallas fries and hot dog got cold.

I could see how it would be distracting to have people wandering in and out of the stands during performances, but my seat was only two seats away from the top of the stairs.

I thought she was with the stadium, but she disappeared after that one band performed and my eyes narrowed in suspicion....

Anyway, I got back, I ate my food and I watched my first cavalcade.

As I said, strange and wonderful.

There was a pirate theme, Little Red Riding Hood (complete with a wolf) and a couple of things that were completely lost on me. (Hey, it was my first one.)

Anyway, here are some Tout videos I shot of the Pottstown and Pottsgrove performances.








And I just remembered that Pottstown's music department has its own You Tube music channel. Here is the full performance:





And here are the Pottsgrove Tout videos I shot:




O.K., it didn't take too much work for me to find Pottsgrove's full performance on YouTube either. Here it is:




And, while I'm wandering around the Internet this morning, I also found the local results. Here they are:

American Division (Small-sized bands):

• First Place: Phoenixville High School

Liberty Division (Medium-sized bands)

• Second Place: Pottsgrove High School
• Third Place: Pottstown High School

Yankee Division (Large-sized bands)

• Second Place: Perkiomn Valley High School