[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 5 (Friday, January 18, 2013)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E37]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




      TRIBUTE TO LETCHER COUNTY CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL MARCHING BAND

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                           HON. HAROLD ROGERS

                              of kentucky

                    in the house of representatives

                        Friday, January 18, 2013

  Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to 
the director and members of the Letcher County Central High School 
marching band, who have received the honor of performing in Washington, 
DC, for the 57th Presidential Inaugural Parade on January 21, 2013. 
This talented group of students should be proud of this remarkable 
achievement and I am honored to recognize their success.
  Competing with more than 2,800 applicants to perform during the 
parade following President Barack Obama's inauguration, Letcher County 
Central marching band was one of merely 24 groups chosen for this 
prestigious honor. After weeks of hard work, fundraising, and 
practicing in the cold, the band members will serve as the only 
representative from Kentucky to march in the Presidential Inauguration 
Parade this year. The band will also be joined by the school's ROTC 
Cadet Honor Guard performing a ``Patriotic Parade Sequence,'' a medley 
of American songs, after President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe 
Biden are sworn into office. The marching band was also invited to 
perform at the Kentucky Society of Washington DC's Inaugural Ball on 
January 19, 2013.
  Contrary to their current success, the Letcher County Central High 
School music program has not always had a strong presence on campus. In 
fact, in 2006, the instrumental music program at Letcher County Central 
High School did not exist. However, with the help of Dr. Jason 
Griffith, Director of the LCCHS marching band, and several VH1 Save the 
Music Grants, the program has grown from 50 kids to approximately 400 
kids in just six years. Today, the band has received numerous awards 
such as a Kennedy Center Honorable Mention, and has participated in 
prominent parades such as the Gubernatorial Parades in Kentucky in 2007 
and 2011 and a special parade at Disney World in 2012.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring Band Director 
Jason Griffith and the Letcher County Central High School Marching 
Band. This band has made Kentucky proud, and I wish them all the best 
as they take part in this once in a lifetime opportunity and become 
forever apart of our nation's history.

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