What's a Little Rain?

It is tradition for Canton to hold a Memorial Day celebration parade. The high school marching band plays while they travel from the school to the Canton Center cemetery, while others join in the march and follow them with flags and advertisements. This year though, the march and the parade did not take place due to the rain, and the ceremony was instead held at the high school.
The band was setting up in their places, preparing to march, when the slight rain turned into a steady downpour. Senior Delaney Brown, who plays the clarinet, says “the rain began pouring down pretty hard” and that the band would have been unable to play during the march. As upsetting as the news was, the march was called off and the band moved into the school in their “marching attire” and headed for the auditorium.
Once settled in the high school auditorium, the veterans made their way into the room while the band played the Veterans Salute. A setup similar to that used when the school holds the Veteran’s Day ceremony with its students.
The rest of the ceremony was held inside, while the deluge outside poured on. The marching band played the Star Spangled Banner throughout the celebration, and two students played another tribute in the back of the auditorium.
Senior student Lillian Grabowski, and sophomore student Tigger Kluessendorf played “Taps” in the back of the auditorium in remembrance of those who gave the ultimate sacrifice.
Taps is “a number played to salute those who have died” says Delaney Brown, who was part of the marching band playing the Star Spangled Banner, and she adds that the students who played the tune felt honored to be given such a privilege.
Although not as exciting as years passed, as the atmosphere of the parade excitement was absent, Brown states that it was “still a very heartfelt moment” because the ceremony still took place, and that the Memorial Day celebration still “payed tribute to those who have fallen” and could not be physically present.
Many excellent speeches were made and read aloud by members of the community during this memorable event. One such speech was read by the town historian, Mr. David Leff, and the other momentous speeches and poems were read by some of the Canton Middle School students.
Although the rain put a damper on the parade, Canton’s community members, students and adults alike, did not let it put an end to the ceremony. Through good spur-the-moment decisions and planning, the heartfelt atmosphere of such a celebration of those who did not make it home went on.
Correction: The article incorrectly stated that Tigger Klussendorf was a freshman.  It has been corrected to reflect his sophomore status at the time of the article.