The Tyler County High School Marching Band got to march in the Independence Day parade in Washington, D.C.

In a proud moment for all of Tyler County, the Tyler Consolidated High School Silver Knights Marching Band took to the streets of the nation’s capital on Constitution Avenue Thursday morning, performing amid hundreds of thousands at the annual National Independence Day Parade in honor of America’s 249th birthday.

The invitation arrived in the winter of 2024 from U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito, inviting the band to represent West Virginia on the national stage. With funding approved by the Tyler County Board of Education, the band has been diligently preparing since March, including a demonstration performance at the West Virginia Strawberry Festival in Buckhannon in May, to perfect a “Patriotic Salute” medley featuring America the Beautiful and The Battle Hymn of the Republic.

Band director Matt Jennings described the experience as monumental, “It’s a wonderful opportunity to march in your nation’s capital on the Fourth of July. It’s going to cause an enormous amount of pride for their school, for West Virginia and for the United States of America.”

Approximately 50 students stepped off just after 11:45 a.m., marching from 7th to 17th Street past the White House in picture perfect weather. Alongside them were bands from across the nation, military units, drill teams, floats, and giant balloons.

State pride rang out again when Governor Jim Justice remarked, “It doesn’t get any better than West Virginians showing our pride for our state and our country.”

The celebration didn’t end with the parade. Students also toured D.C.’s iconic landmarks, including the Lincoln Memorial, Smithsonian museums, Arlington National Cemetery, the Washington Monument, and were treated to A Capitol Fourth evening concert and fireworks with the National Monument in the background.

As the Silver Knights Band marched home down Constitution Avenue, they carried with them not only school and state pride, but a profound patriotism instilled by the honor of representing TCHS and West Virginia on Independence Day.