Victoria Day

[Kabey's Van]

Living in Victoria, the Victoria Day long weekend is a big thing. It's a celebration of Queen Victoria's birthday. We are also celebrating 100 years of service in The Royal Canadian Navy, as Victoria is the home port for the Pacific Naval Fleet.
The town has been very busy so far this summer.
I was able to watch the Island Farms Victoria Day Parade yesterday and next to maybe the Swiftsure Race, it's the biggest annual outdoor event Victoria has.
My question is, why do so many American marching bands come to Victoria to strut there stuff.
Don't get me wrong and start waving your American flags, as it must be a trip of a lifetime for most of these Highschooler's as some of them have travelled as far as Florida to participate.
I understand that marching bands in American high schools are a prodominant thing and some of them travel the world. Not so in Canada, at all.
So why would you travel such a long way to our little town to perform in a parade, in a country that doesn't promote marching bands, I don't get it.

Peter

[CaptSquid]

Can you imagine a parade without music? Pretty dull.

The bands are invited and the schools that provide these bands do NOT pay for the band's trip to various locations. There usually are fund raisers that help pay for these trips. The kids themselves love the opportunity to travel and to strut their stuff.

[Kabey's Van]

You got me there Mike, a parade without music would be pretty dull.
There were 127 entries in total, floats, groups and marching bands. 23 entries were US marching bands with only three from Canada. Most were from Washington State, Oregon and California.
I can imagine the fund raising is extremely difficult given the current economic times.
My hats off to them.

[1Gary]

One other thing that our young male American marching band members want to run fund raiser to travel for.............


















They get to meet young Canadian girls to tell them they are the drummer in a band.

[Cobra]

i was afraid a band camp story was going to start there Gary

[kings-x59]

heh, band nerds get pretty competitive. both my kids were in highschool band. My daughter Was the drummer. She did two summers touring with Troopers out of Wyoming in the DCI competitions (imagine semi-pro marching band competition).
She toured most of the top half of the lower 48 in those two summers. They are one bunch of motivated kiddos, and therein lies the answer as to why they would wash cars and sell raffle tickets to raise the money to see your bonny part of the world.

[Smiliesafari]

I was in the band in Junior High, High School, and four years in the Marine Corp. I can tell you that it's more fun than you can imagine.

[astroturf]

One other thing that our young male American marching band members want to run fund raiser to travel for.............
They get to meet young Canadian girls to tell them they are the drummer in a band.

Kinda sounds like you been there and done that... :-k :-k :-k

[Kabey's Van]

Canadian chicks kick ass and are far better than California girls.
Sorry Darren, theirs no argument, they just are.

[6spd_monte]

i was afraid a band camp story was going to start there Gary

Hey! I met my wife in band camp!

[Cobra]

uh oh.......