It's time

for another round of praise and thanksgiving for the talented and successful

superstar youth of our great community! My celebration this time is for

the Fayette County High School Marching Tiger Band.

In mid-July these kids reported with caps, sunglasses, water bottles,

and huge hearts to the painted lines on the burning asphalt of their school

parking lot for "two-a-day" marching drills. After a week or

so of this nearly-sadistic self-sacrifice, they shipped off to a week

of band camp for further torture and training in the heat and humidity

of an Alabama college campus.

They poured music from their souls and brains, out through their instruments

- all while memorizing over a hundred intricate steps, moves, and

formations. By the time school actually started, they were well on their

way to mastering "the show" they would take not only to football

games and halftimes, but also to national and regional "marching

competitions."

What a "machine" this was developing into! The brass and woodwinds

played and marched and played and marched and played and marched, and

then to get it "more perfect" (yes, that was their goal), they

played and marched some more. The three drum majors drilled tirelessly

to bring every tempo and syncopation to unified precision. The drum line

stood for hours and hours even before and after regular practice to mold

every snare, quad, and bass stroke into a single percussion heartbeat.

The "pit" percussionists played accompanying notes and "noises"

over and over, counting and waiting until just the right beat to inject

their vital but often over-looked contribution. The flag corps and majorettes

drilled and waved and danced and tossed and caught and counted and choreographed,

only stopping to band-aid blisters and ice down bruises.

I've said for a long time, "If you're in the band, you'd

better give your soul to Jesus...because Mr. Beard's gonna get

the rest of you!" Can I get an "Amen" to that? (Of course,

we love Mr. Beard and admire and respect him and his staff! We say "Thank

You" to all of them for their hard work and dedication to benefit

these young people!)

Now we all know that hard work, dedication, commitment, sacrifice, and

team effort have their own reward even without external success ...

but we also know that when all these lead in addition to "external

success," the rewards are particularly sweet. You won't be surprised

when I tell you that this band's final product this year - a

musical-and-marching, sound-and-sight extravaganza called "Cartoon

- Saturday Morning Fever" - has now been showered with

"external successes", and the rewards have indeed been particularly

sweet:

- "Bands of America" finalist in national/regional competition

at Johnson City, Tenn. (a terrific honor bestowed).

- Grand champion of the Sandy Creek Annual Marching Competition (winning

- Grand champion runner-up (the only band to perform in a driving

rainstorm) at Rockdale County Marching Competition (a true test of courage

and discipline).

So, we stand to salute you, Fayette County Marching Tiger Band! You are

absolute superstars, shining among us. We congratulate you. We honor you.

We admire you. We are thankful that you make our little corner of the

world a better place in which to live.

And yes, we thank God for you! And give Him praise for the marvel and

wonder of His awesome creation of you!

(Kollmeyer is Pastor of Prince of Peace Lutheran Church, located in Fayetteville

on Hwy. 314 between Lowe's and The Pavilion. He invites anyone without

a church home to Sunday morning worship at 8:15, 9:30 (Contemporary),

or 11:00. For more information please log-on at www.popdove.com or call

770-461-3403.)

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