First Posted: 3/4/2015
When the judge speaks, people listen.
In 2013, Judge Richard Warren urged fellow Rotarians to help Lima’s children by sponsoring an activity in which they would enjoy.
He was thinking of something unique … something with a beat.
That something was the High Octane Drumline, a group that performs in area halftime shows, marches in parades and enters competitions.
Participants are from the fifth- through 12th-grades. They come from Lima City Schools, Perry, Shawnee and Lima Central Catholic. Anyone is welcome, although the focus is on inner city youth. Those taking part do not have to know anything about music to join and they don’t need their own drums. The Lima Rotary Club donated money to purchase five snare drums, two base drums, two sets of cymbals and two quads.
The drumline focuses on the kinds of music, like pop, R&B and hip-hop, that youth listen to today.
Warren said the drumline is a positive activity for youth and is an extension of the education they are getting in school. It is the kind of education and guidance that can make for better future citizens, he added.
