LA or Bust! The Hollywood Parade Trip Is On and Fundraising Begins!

Feb. 4 was the kickoff meeting for the Nov. 27 - Dec.1 trip to Los Angeles to march in the Hollywood Christmas Parade. In case you missed it, here are the highlights.

About the Trip

The proposed itinerary sounds like lots of fun! Departure will be the morning of Nov. 27, 2015, arriving in LA around noon. Lunch will be at the Farmer’s Market, followed by a city bus tour, and dinner at the hotel (Embassy Suites). The next day, there will be some rehearsal time, a visit to Universal Studios, and a dinner/dance for members of all the bands in the parade. On Sunday, the group will tour the haunted(!?) Queen Mary and hang out at the Santa Monica Pier. The parade will take place after dark at 6:30 or 7pm and feature 12 bands, floats, and celebrities. (Check their website for info about when and where it’ll be televised.) Dinner will be at Buca Di Beppo. On Monday, it’ll be Disneyland and California Adventure all day with a park-hopper pass. Dec. 1 will be the flight home.

Exact costs will depend on, among other things, the number of buses we need to rent and whether Music Travel Consultants can get us cheaper airfares in the fall; however, it looks like the total will be very close to $1600 per person. This assumes 5 people per hotel room and includes everything except personal souvenir and snack money. We’ll need some adult chaperones; if you’re interested, contact Erin Wager Miller. Chaperones and other adults that go along will have to pay the same amount (or a little more if they want fewer than 5 in their hotel room).

A pdf of the presentation by Music Travel Consultants can be found here.

Everyone that in interested in going needs to create an account NOW at www.music-travel.com to express your interest!
(If you created an account for a previous marching band trip, it’s still there.) A $100 deposit is due by 3/1, and five installments of $250 each must be paid by 4/15, 6/1, 7/15, 9/1, and 10/9. The balance will be due 11/6. (Reminders will be emailed.) Clarification: These are payment due dates, but if you decide to go at a later time, you can make catch-up payments. Also, if you have problems or need to make special arrangements, contact Music Travel Consultants and they’ll work with you. If for any reason, the whole trip is cancelled (e.g., if fewer than ~95 people sign up by spring break), you’ll get back 100% of what you have deposited. If a specific traveler has to drop out earlier than 2 months prior to the trip, they will get back everything except the $100 deposit. Instructions for creating an account are to the right. Be sure to enter our trip number: 1511-3-19 and under “special needs,” list and food allergies, etc. You’ll find itinerary, cost, and payment information on the music-travel.com website also.

Note that students must be in marching band all season in order to go along on the trip, but you do not have to go on the trip to be in marching band! (The term “Marching Band” includes the Color Guard.) Rehearsals start at the end of July - dates are on the website calendar already. Be sure you can make every single one before you commit! Marching Band fees will be $275 plus about $40 for shoes for new people. Talk to friends that have been in marching band to find out what it’s like and why you’ll love it! Contact Mr. Wilson if you have other questions. Note that current 8th graders who want to be in marching band next school year and go on the trip can participate in all of the fundraising, as well.

Anyone who was not in marching band last year should sign up for the Marching Band email list, as most trip and fundraising messages will go only to that list! You must contact Lisa Ensman at info@bhsnbands.com to subscribe, unsubscribe, or change your information for any band email list.

Fundraising

To help with the expense of going to California, students who plan to go on the trip (only) will have the opportunity to earn money by participating in various special fundraisers between now and October. We may also have some fundraisers that benefit the group as a whole. Erin Wager Miller, Band Boosters Vice President, is leading the “LA or Bust” committee. If anyone has a good money-making idea, knows of an appropriate one-time job for students and/or parents, or belongs to a company that would like to make a donation, please let Erin know.

For those that don’t know… all band students have a “student account” with the Band Boosters. Money in this account can be used for band-related expenses like marching band fees and trips. See the Info - for All Bands page for details. Families of students in any North band can earn money for their student accounts via the ongoing “Band Bucks” program. These are gift cards purchased through ShopWithScrip.com. A percentage of the purchase price is refunded to your student account. You can buy them for weekly use, special projects and events, gifts, etc. See the Boosters - Band Bucks page for more information.

For those going to CA, there are currently 2 quick fundraisers going on: McDonalds 2-for-1 cards and trash bags. Everyone loves McDonalds and needs trash bags, right?! The McDonalds cards sell for $10 and $1 goes to Ronald McDonald Houses while $4.50 goes to the student who sells the card. The trash bags, which come from a company in Spencer, sell for $13 per roll, half of which goes to the student. Cards and order forms can be obtained at school. For trash bags, take orders and collect money; for McDonalds cards, either sell or return the cards you take. To get another trash bag order form or more McD’s cards, contact Tabitha Hacker (email tabithahacker@live.com or text 812-369-0432) to make arrangements. She can meet you at North most days after school. (If needed, you could take orders for the McD’s cards and deliver them when you can.)

Be quick! The deadline is Feb. 16 (but will probably be extended a week or two)! Don’t forget to ask your non-marching-band friends to buy!

NOTE: Student band accounts will be created “automatically,” if needed, when money from fundraising is submitted or when you order Band Bucks gift cards. But, if you like, you can contact Moira Wedekind for student accounts and Michelle Bright for Band Bucks to be sure they know who you and your child are. Contact info is on the Boosters-Band Booster Contacts page.