It's been a very successful season for the Marching Knights, the Eastern York High School band. The 65-member group earned numerous accolades in competitions throughout the fall, culminating in taking first place in its division in the Cavalcade of Bands championship in Hershey in November.

"The last time the band got first place at championships was 1998," said Keith Gromis, director. He noted that not only has the band improved in recent years, but it has also grown from fewer than 20 members just six years ago. This year has been particularly challenging for the band, he remarked, because the group lost more than 20 seniors who graduated in the spring.

The Cavalcade of Bands is a marching band organization that provides the rules, judges and structure for marching band competitions, Gromis noted. "Bands in Cavalcade come from mainly southcentral Pa., New Jersey and even Delaware and Maryland."

This year's band show was titled "Unhinged," and it featured music composed specifically for marching bands by a company called Box Six, Gromis shared. "The music was a lot of fun to play," he said. "There were lots of different styles, tempos and moods throughout to represent the idea of being unhinged and unexpected."

Not only did the band place first at Cavalcade, but the Marching Knights also received awards for best visual performance, best percussion and best overall effect. "At competitions, we are judged in the area of music - how we play and sound; visual - how we move and look; color guard; percussion; and general effect, which is how well the performance portrays the theme of the show," Gromis explained.

While the championship win was the ultimate highlight of the band's season, it wasn't the group's only top score. "We participated in six regular competitions this year and had a great season," Gromis said, "placing either first or second at all of these shows."