oakhillgazette.com
January 8, 2015 Volume 19, No. 27 Southwest Austin’s Community Newspaper Since 1995
World watches James Bowie Band march in London
by Ann Fowler OAK HILL - Nearly two years after former Lord Mayor of Westminster, Councillor Duncan Sandys, surprised the members and parents of the James Bowie marching band with an invitation to perform in the
prestigious London’s New Year’s Day Parade, 200 students did just that on New Year’s Day. The parade attracts a TV audience of nearly 300 million viewers worldwide, and has twice as many participants as the Macy’s Thanks-
giving Day Parade. The parade started at noon at Piccadilly at Berkely Street, with the route finishing at Parliament Square. “It was the thrill of a lifetime to see these hard working students march the streets of London,” said
Becky Stephenson. Her daughter, Kelly, a junior at Bowie, is a Junior Lieutenant in the Color Guard. Stephenson was one of 100 parents who made the trip. More than 8,500 parade participants marched, danced and per-
formed along the 2.2-mile route packed with more than half a million spectators. “The parade was fantastic,” said Bowie Band Director Kim Shut-
See WORLD on p. 3