A former honorary Lord Mayor from London was guest of honor Tuesday in Pickerington. He and others brought an official invitation to the Pickerington North High School Band to perform in the British capital on New Year’s Day, 2018.
London’s New Year’s Day Parade draws more than a half-million spectators who view 8,000 performers during the 3-and-a-half-hour event. So says the parade’s executive director Robert Bone who also promised the weather would be fantastic…
“I’m going to tell you that it’s always gorgeously sunny and very warm on New Year’s Day in London,” Bone said.
Joking aside, Bone praised the band for its brilliant though brief performance at Tuesday’s ceremony.
“I have to say, you lot are right up there with the very, very best I’ve heard so congratulations on your performance. I think there are some very glittering prizes awaiting you this year,” Bone said.
And he said the appearance of the Pickerington North High School Band on British streets will be the highlight of the parade.
“We do not have marching bands like yours in the United Kingdom or indeed in the whole of Europe. You are a phenomenon that is much enjoyed by the British public who will thrill, I promise you, to your performances.
The band now has about 465 days to practice.