It was pouring rain when the carpool left Caledonia, but the sun was shining when we reached Byron. However, it had rained earlier in Byron, and the heat and humidity quickly built up as we lined up for the parade.

We had 27 marchers on the street. Tom and Lori carried the banner, Andy Z. carried the American flag and Nancy carried the sword.

It was nice to see Mike W.. He has had a busy summer, so he hasn't been able to make many events. Mike's wife, Kelly, and their children, Griffin and Genevieve, came to watch. Josh's wife, Joanne, and daughter, Lily, also came to watch. Their commitment to the band is even more impressive when you consider that Josh comes from Farmington and Mike comes from Clyde.

Steve played bass drum. We had three snares: Scott, Don S. and Tim. That gave Scott an opportunity to play trombone for the concert after the parade.

Last year, we stood in the middle of the park for our concert. If we stood in the same place this year, we would have been standing in the very strong midday sun. Instead we found a shady spot on the edge of Community Park and played from there. With 24 musicians, there was no problem hearing us throughout the park. We played until M.A.C., a country music band, started playing at noon. Just as we were finishing up, the parade committee presented four trophies, and Kelley's Heroes received one of them for 2nd place in community groups.

Wilma brought her four-year-old granddaughter, Violet, to watch us play. Violet plays the violin and she was interested in our band instruments. We played two of our favorite children's songs for her: Let It Go and Disney's Magical Marches. Keep practicing, Violet. All musicians have to start at the beginning.

Our next event is the Dewey Avenue Festival on Tuesday, July 28. See you there!