Bel Air Baton Twirlers to Perform at Inauguration Concert

BEL AIR, MD — A group of Bel Air baton twirlers is performing during next week's inauguration festivities in Washington, D.C. The TwirlTasTix group was selected to be part of the inaugural welcome concert on Jan. 19.

The President-elect and Vice President-elect are both slated to appear at the concert, which serves as the official kickoff to the inaugural activities. The inauguration ceremony occurs on Jan. 20.

TwirlTasTix was among 12 groups selected out of hundreds that applied to be a part of the inaugural festivities.

"I think what they liked about us was that we were completely different," TwirlTasTix Director Christine Zoll told Patch. "They have tap dancers, a drill team, choirs and bands, but nothing like us."

Added Zoll: "This is such a great honor not only for our organization but also for the sport of baton twirling."

Members of the group range from 6 to 21 years old and have competed together and individually at regional, state and national competitions as well as in Canada.

Locally, TwirlTasTix earned honorable mention at last month's Bel Air Christmas parade. In fact, Zoll told Bel Air Patch that within days of receiving the group's video from the parade, the organizers of the inaugural festivities contacted her.

She said she applied for the group to compete, thinking the polarized climate may leave the field open for applicants.

"I thought maybe we’d have a better shot getting into something like this since [some] might not enter because they have such strong political convictions," Zoll told Bel Air Patch. Many others had the same idea, it turned out, since applications continued to pour into organizers.

The few concerns she heard from the team members were about security.

"I have talked to the girls about how our purpose is to focus on this historic moment and to try to bring positive energy and unity" to the occasion, Zoll said. "And hopefully people can kind of look at it like, 'You know what? These kids are the future, and we need to figure it out for them.'"

Locals can get a sneak peek at the inauguration routine next week at Harford Community College. TwirlTasTix members will deliver their performance during the halftime shows at the 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. women's and men's basketball games on Wednesday, Jan. 18, at HCC, 401 Thomas Run Road, Bel Air.

The team will then perform during the Presidential Inaugural “Voices of the People” Welcome Concert on Thursday, Jan. 19, by the Lincoln Memorial, 2 Lincoln Memorial Northwest, Washington, D.C.

To offset expenses associated with the performance, a GoFundMe campaign has been established with the goal of raising $6,500 by Jan. 15. As of Monday morning, the campaign has raised more than $1,200.

Image via GoFundMe.