Ranger Marching Band Takes Toronto

Note: The Lakewood Ranger Marching Band spent Oct. 8-10 traveling to Canada to sightsee in Toronto and perform in the Kitchener-Waterloo Thanksgiving Day Parade in honor of the country's national holiday.

Cheering in unison on the bus as we drove across the border into Canada, some of us entering a new country for the first time; riding the elevator to the top of the CN Tower, going faster than we ever had before, reaching heights we had never reached before; standing under the powerful roar of Niagara Falls and feeling incredible awe for this remarkable feat of nature, seeing beauty unparalleled to anything we had ever seen. These memories of Toronto, shared with all of my fellow band members, are ones I will treasure forever. Experiencing the world together brought me closer to my marching band family, and I will always look back on the Toronto trip with great thanks that I was able to have such an experience.

I had never been on a school trip before, and was unsure of what to expect; I am incredibly happy that I was able to experience everything that comes along with a school trip. I now know that I should have expected early breakfasts shared together, jokes and stories and bonding on bus rides, a tour of Toronto at top speeds. And then there was the Thanksgiving Day Parade itself. Nothing could be compared to marching through the streets of Kitchener, Ontario, incredibly proud of my band and our music, and hearing everyone cheer for us and sing along to our songs. As we cadenced throughout the streets, I overheard someone saying; "Are they from Ohio? I think they're from the states!" in excited near-disbelief. I understand how they felt, as I felt the same way when I first learned I would be able to go to Toronto with my marching band. I will be forever closer to my fellow band members thanks to the trip, and I will always keep my memories of it close to my heart.