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HomeNewsArchives205-Strong V.I. Marching Band is Inauguration Bound

205-Strong V.I. Marching Band is Inauguration Bound

Jan. 15, 2009 – A 205-strong marching band of students from nine of the territory's public and private schools and the University of the Virgin Islands will participate in the celebration of the presidential inaugural in Washington.
While the band will participate in the inauguration's opening events on Sunday at the Lincoln Memorial as well as a band competition at George Mason University in Fairfax, Va., it will not march in the inaugural parade. It will, however, march in the Martin Luther King Parade on Monday according to band director Georgia Francis.
The main "We Are One" event at the Lincoln Memorial begins at 2 p.m. Sunday and features an all-star lineup of performers including Beyonce, Mary J. Blige, Bono and U2, Sheryl Crow, Herbie Hancock, Shakira and Stevie Wonder. Jamie Foxx, Martin Luther King III, Queen Latifah and Denzel Washington are listed in the lineup to read historical passages.
HBO will broadcast the 90-minute program, but it is unclear whether the Marching Stars' performance will be aired.
Departing the territory on Saturday, the V.I. Marching Stars will stay in Philadelphia, almost 150 miles away from Washington, due to a shortage of hotel rooms nearer the capital. The entourage will commute by bus from these accommodations to the events in and around the District of Columbia, Francis said.
The band's journey represents a lot of hard and rapid work by the band members and its director.
The band was organized especially to participate in the inaugural events, according to the director.
"We started preparing before the election," Francis said.
Band members range in age from 13 to 20 and the band boasts 45 drummers and 28 trumpets in addition to other instruments, including steel pans.
"This is a band that has power and has sound," Francis said.
The band had to have uniforms and money for accommodations and air and ground travel expenses. Band members had to raise $1,400 each to participate, and the V.I. Government kicked in $200,000 to help with costs.
Francis gave kudos to the parents that helped satisfy the needs of the vendors and for trying to make up the remainder of the nearly $500,000 cost of getting the band to their destination.
"A lot of parents used personal money," Francis said. "Some of them took out loans to cover the expenses."
The check from the V.I. government has not yet arrived, but Francis said that she hopes it will come Friday.
The band's uniforms are a Caribbean combination of light blue, dark blue and white.
The band can still use contributions, Francis said. Donors can bring checks to Charlotte Amalie made out to the Charlotte Amalie High School Band Boosters.
More than money has been donated for the trip. Francis said that a number of people from the community have donated coats for band members. The average temperature in Washington in January is 35 degrees according to a U.S. Department of Health website.

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