The Villages Twirlers and Drum Corps dazzled a capacity crowd at Lake Sumter Landing Wednesday night as the popular performance team completed a whirlwind Fourth of July tour through Florida’s Friendliest Hometown.
The fun started with a show in Brownwood, followed by Lake Sumter Landing and then Spanish Springs. It was a well-coordinated effort that required precise planning and a bus that was running and was ready to go.
And perhaps best of all, it was a night where the Twirlers reminded everyone of the importance of celebrating freedom and honoring the men and women who have served and are serving in all branches of the military.
Yes, flags were waving. Smiles were aplenty. And cheers were the norm as Ann Pelle, captain of the squad, led the Twirlers into Market Square for a show that involved everything from fancy moves to patriotic music to fire batons.
“It’s a blast,” Pelle, of the Village of Briar Meadow, said of performing at all three town squares in the same night. “We love celebrating Independence Day and we love having all our Villages friends and neighbors out to celebrate with us.”
It’s a holiday that means more to Pelle than most probably know.
“I always say this is special for me because I wasn’t born an American citizen. I was adopted by an Air Force family,” Pelle said shortly after the Lake Sumter Landing show ended. “So to become an American when I was small, it means a lot that it just wasn’t given to me. I was God blessed by an American family that I got picked.”
Wednesday’s show also was special for Pelle and some of the other team members as their grandchildren joined in the fun. Pelle’s two granddaughters, Kayla Crittenden and Madison Vebrnick – both of whose fathers are former military pilots – said performing with their grandmother was quite special.
“It’s a lot of fun and a pleasure to be here with her,” said Kayla. “I love seeing everybody singing “I’m Proud to be an American” with their flags waving in the air.”
Madison, who was sporting her own drum for the show, agreed.
“It’s really great,” she said, while adding her thoughts on being an honorary member of the drum corps: “I really love it.”
Not surprisingly, the crowd also loved what they saw, from young Madison to every member of the team who gave it their all on the 242nd anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
“It was great and we are having a ball,” said Cathy Huffman, of the Village of Hillsborough, who spent most of the night dancing with her husband, Jon. “The Twirlers are just fantastic.”
Huffman’s best friend, Lynn Vogel, and her husband, Craig, were also enjoying the evening as part of their visit from Ohio. Lynn said they plan to move to The Villages sometime in the next five years and she already knows the first thing she’s going to after arriving here.
“I’m a wannabe Twirler,” she said with a huge smile. “I have a baton at home and I can’t wait to get here and be a part of this.”
