Well, as promised, over 540 handbell musicians played the National Anthem before the August 29 game between the Nats and Marlins (Nats won, 9-0!). It was an incredible experience for all of us, including ringers from our church handbell group, Evensong Bells. We got to First Baptist Church in Alexandria about noon, rehearsed indoors, rehearsed in the parking lot, and then boarded buses and vans and trucks (oh my) for the trip to Nationals Park. Wrangling that many handbell players was quite a logistical challenge, to say nothing of managing 50 sets of handbells. We got to the park about 4, did a “sound check,” got something to eat, and then started moving to the warning track about 6:00 to play at 6:54. We were divided into colors and rows to make moving and lineup easier (we were in group Lime Two). All in all, it went as smoothly as it could, and I thought the finished product sounded better than I believed it would. I hope you enjoy this video shot by someone in the stands!
Biscuit City 