As students head into the fall and begin flocking to the long awaited football games, they need to take a look into the hard work and dedication put into the halftime show by the Spring Lake High School Marching Band.
The band has been working to put their show together for the majority of the summer, including a week-long camp at Grand Valley State University in July and weekly rehearsals since then.
This year’s show is entitled “Beacon of Light,” and is based on Grand Haven’s very own lighthouse. The show will feature the songs “Come Sail Away” by Styx, “Lux Aeterna” by Edward Elgar, “Sailing” by Christoper Cross, and “Going Home” by Antonin Dvorak.
The show portrays a ship happily going out to sea during the song “Come Sail Away,” then getting caught up in a horrible storm during “Lux Aeterna” and “Sailing.” The ship then finds the light coming off of the lighthouse on the shore and eventually is able to follow it all the way home to safety during the song “Going Home.”
“Beacon of Light” will showcase junior Samantha Conley with a flute solo, as well as senior Mackenzie Cole and junior Cindy Frohriep in the color guard. Additionally, this year will include a small ensemble of students consisting of seniors Ella Boerger, Kyler Dillon, Kaitlyn Woirol and junior Alyssa Ellison.
Band director Mark Gravengoed stated that the show originated from him hearing a song about a lighthouse in a TV show, and he thought it would make a good ballad for a marching band show. When it actually came down to the decision making process, Gravengoed mentioned it to the school’s drill writer, Steve Alia, who loved the idea.
Co-band director, Mike Truszkowski, said, “The thing the community should look forward to most this year is seeing our new props, which will include a replica of the Grand Haven lighthouse.”
You can watch the marching band’s show at the upcoming home football games at Grabinski Field, starting Oct. 4, and at their competitions beginning Sept. 28 at the Grand Haven Marching Invitational.
