FHS Band hopes to raise $300K more for trip to Macy’s parade
Posted on Wednesday, September 3, 2008
About half of the funds needed to cover student travel expenses has been raised for the Fayetteville High School Band's upcoming trip to the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City.
The students and band boosters will be working at fundraisers in the coming weeks and months to raise the rest, and the band needs the community's support, band Director Barry Harper said at a press conference Tuesday.
"It's 81 days from today when we will board the buses (to leave )," he said.
The total estimated cost of the trip and travel is $ 295, 000, he said. Each student is expected to raise $ 1, 250 to attend.
The Band Boosters have made some donations to help cover the trip's total costs, he added.
Harper described his feelings about raising the rest of funds as "a little worried but not much. "It is a large sum of money, but the community has always helped them come through in the past, he said.
The $ 295, 000 will help cover the cost of the charter buses, hotel accommodations, food while in New York, a cruise to the Statue of Liberty, and tickets for the band to attend the Broadway play "Shrek"and a Cirque du Soleil show at Madison Square Garden.
"I'm excited about the Broadway play for a number of reasons," Harper said, noting it is directed by 1989 FHS graduate Jason Moore.
Some of the fundraising activities the boosters and students will be doing include providing parking at University of Arkansas football and basketball games for a fee, cleaning up at the upcoming Bikes, Blues & BBQ motorcycle rally, and a march-a-thon on Oct. 28 at Harmon Field.
The band's theme for the 2008 marching season is "I'm in a New York State of Mind. "The theme's routine will be performed during the school's first home football game on Friday.
Besides the $ 295, 000 for the trip itself, the band hopes to raise $ 150, 000 to provide funds for other expenses related to the trip.
Wal-Mart donated a trailer to the band to haul its equipment to New York. Harper said they are hoping to get a donation to have it painted for the trip with the FHS logo. The additional funds could also provide for incidental expenses such as instrument repair.
They would also like donations for travel jackets, which will help identify of students while in the city, and money for meals on the road.
"We did not include meals to and from New York City," Harper said.
None of the band's current members was a student at the school in 2005-2006, when the band took a trip to the Rose Bowl Parade in Pasadena, Calif.
"This is our first big trip," student Kelly Butterwick said. "I think it's going to be a lot of fun."
Besides marching in the parade, student Caleb Steiner said he is looking forward to other activities in New York.
"I'm excited about the Broadway show," he said.
The parade route that the students will be following winds through about 2. 5 miles of city streets.
Some of the students said they weren't looking forward to the possibility of getting up extremely early to march in the parade. Bands have to meet in advance for a dress rehearsal, and the bands picked to march near the front of the parade have to show up at 3 a. m., Harper said.
If they are an early selection, they'll have to get up and be ready to march around 2 a. m., student Jonathan Carothers said.
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