The Key West High School marching band is back home after marching their way into history by performing in London’s New Year’s Day Parade.
The band, known as the “Marching Conch,” arrived at Miami International Airport around 10 p.m. Thursday after performing in front of millions of viewers all around the world.
The KWHS made a quick pit stop at a Publix in Key Largo on their journey back home.
“It’s a massive world stage for hundreds of thousands of people live,” KWHS Band Director Gary Hernandez told Local 10 News last week.
“We’re coming from all the way down here in Key West, Florida and we have such a diverse group of people,” said Eddie Strunk, a band captain for KWHS.
Besides the hours and hours of practice, the band’s journey has been a long and hard one but has paid off.
Jamie Struck, the mother of Eddie Strunk, told Local 10 News that she’s proud of all the band members who worked multiple car washes and held yard sales just to make the trip happen.
“It’s making me choke up to see all these kids here, she said. They have worked so hard doing multiple car washes, yard sales, just out on the streets making it all happen for themselves, parents making it happen and our community of Key West. We cannot thank you enough.”
Event organizers told Local 10 News that the band raised over $400,000 to make the trip happen.
The band is also asking for the public’s help to donate towards their general KWHS Band Program Fund which supports their entire band program throughout the school year.
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