Highlanders go back to their roots

| 15 May 2012 | 05:35

WEST MILFORD — The West Milford Highlander Marching Band went back to their roots on a 10-day performance tour of England and Scotland last month. They landed in England's Heathrow Airport and from there went to stay in London for a few days. After playing with the Royal Guards, they performed for at the Royal Hospital Chelsea, home of the Chelsea Pensioners. They moved onto Shrewsbury, a very old town in Shropshire. They paraded down the main street of town, led by the Town Crier, to the square, where they gave a performance as a preview to the main event that evening: a concert at St. Mary's Cathedral. St. Mary's is an old cathedral; the new part of the church was built in the early 12th century. While in Shrewsbury the band members did home stays, staying in homes with people in the town.

From there they took an eight-hour drive up to Edinburgh where they performed "Scotland The Brave" among other songs at Sterling Castle in the Highlands of Scotland. They ended their tour with a Scottish Ceilidh where they sang and danced to traditional Scottish Folk Music. They even tried - and liked - the "Haggis."

The West Milford Highlander Band members were great ambassadors of the Township of West Milford as well as the high school.