by Jake Allen
HOLLAND — The Petoskey Steel Drum Band, with its iconic red double-decker trailer and Hawaiian shirts, treated Muziekparade audiences to an encore performance at Eighth Street and College Avenue on Saturday afternoon.
After finishing the Tulip Time Muziekparade route through downtown Holland, the band parked its trailer and performed for an hour from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m.
Sue Pawlak, who is from Glenn and has been coming to the Tulip Time Festival for about 25 years, joked that one would always expect a Caribbean-style steel drum band from Northern Michigan to come down to Holland and perform after the Muziekparade.
“It’s just so cool,” Pawlak said. “I really love their choreography. It’s excellent and their music is fantastic.”
The band was formed by director Barry Bennett in 1997 with 12 students and nine sets of drums, according to a program about the band handed out at the Tulip Time performance.
Today’s band features around 40 students and 30 sets of drums. It travels across the country to perform in places like New Orleans and Chicago.
The band played a variety of music Saturday, including “Ants Marching” by Dave Matthews and “Shut up and Dance with me” by Walk the Moon.
Carlin Smith, whose son Camden Smith is part of band, has been volunteering with the band for the past 6 years.
“This is a great audience,” Carlin Smith said. “They really like us in Holland and it’s a lot of fun to come.”
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