SUN PRAIRIE, Wis. (WKOW) — The Sound of Sun Prairie Band spent months preparing for the Salute to Independence parade in Philadelphia, but with temperatures over 100 degrees, organizers said the heat was just too much.
“We just felt that with these extreme temperatures, we could not guarantee the safety of folks coming out, so we had to cancel,” said Michael DelBene, president and CEO of Welcome America.
Sound of Sun Prairie Band Director Matt McVeigh said the decision wasn’t surprising, as the band noticed the unusually hot forecast looming.
“There’s some disappointment there, though I don’t know that anyone looking at the forecast was like, ‘yeah, this is going to be so awesome to march in 100 degrees,'” McVeigh said.
The band competed in an event at a nearby university earlier this week, finishing in third place. McVeigh and band members also did some sightseeing, including stops at Ben Franklin’s grave, the Rocky Steps at the Museum of Art and Reading Terminal Market.
“We still got to perform, we still got to spend time together, and we still got to, I think, experience a really cool culture in a really great American city together,” McVeigh said.
Despite not playing in the parade, McVeigh said the band will still head back to Wisconsin having had a good time. “Sometimes when things don’t work out it also creates the sweetest stories,” McVeigh said.
The Sound of Sun Prairie is on the way back to Wisconsin, as it has a competition in La Crosse on Sunday.