Saturday was a brutal day for the Wayland High School marching band, which earned a coveted Division I rating earlier in the week at the East Kentwood Invitational. The local musicians performed in the 40-degree temperatures with a lot of wind at Allendale, then performed at Grandville before capping off the activities with a performance at the Grand Valley State University football game. The ensemble, under the direction Kelly Tilley Smith, this year is producing, “Phoenix Rising,” a variation of Igor Stravinsky’s “Firebird.” They copped a second place at the Allendale competition.
