A group of students from Trumbull have been offered the hottest ticket in the country.
The Trumbull High School Golden Eagle Marching Band is not only attending the 56th Inaugural Parade but they are also performing. They say they were chosen from more than 1,300 bands to apply.
The 101 musicians, 25 color guard members and drum major will participate in the historic parade down Pennsylvania Avenue following Obama's swearing-in ceremony on the steps of the Capitol.
When they march by Obama, they will play "The Battle Hymn of the Republic" and another piece commissioned by and written exclusively for the band to perform for the President.
Organizations that wanted to participate in the parade submitted an application to the Armed Forces Inaugural Committee, which helped the Presidential Inaugural Committee review all options.
Participants in the Inaugural Parade must pay their own lodging and transportation to and from Washington, D.C.
The tradition of an Inaugural parade dates back to the first Inauguration, when George Washington took the oath of office on April 30, 1789, in New York City. As he began his journey from Mount Vernon to New York City, local militias joined his procession as it passed through towns along the way.
The band is no stranger to high-profile events. The band performed in George W. Bush’s 2001 Presidential Inauguration Parade. They have also marched in the 2006 and 2002 Citrus Bowl Parade and the 2004 Hollywood Christmas Parade.
Learn more about the inauguration here.
Learn more about the band and how to contribute to their trip here.
