Meg Hibbert
Contributing writer
While Salem-area residents battled ice-topped snow, members of Salem High School’s Pride of Salem Band enjoyed warm weather in Florida and what the Disney area had to offer.
On January 26-Feb. 1, band members and boosters traveled by bus to Orlando to participate in Imagination Campus.
Members had a chance to visit Universal Studios, Epic Universe, the Magic Kingdom and Epcot as well as the Islands of Adventure.
On that Friday they marched around the Around the World Showcase at Epcott.
The band performed an arrangement of “Ducktales” and “You’re Welcome” from the Disney movie M’wana.
They were welcomed by Mickey Mouse himself, and Matt Simon, vice president of Epcot.
Pride of Salem Band Director John E. Wright was enthusiastic about the performances and his students in general. “The kids were amazing. There was not one problem. They behaved well. The biggest challenge this time was the weather.”
Heavy snow and below freezing temperatures forced a few travel changes. going down and coming back,” Wright said. “We left that Tuesday morning instead of Monday night because of the weather,” he said, and missed out on going to Sea World.
On the return trip, the band left Universal Studios at night instead of staying over, he said, and the buses drove as far as Brunswick, Ga. The group ate at Buckees.
In Brunswick the group was able to get 30 hotel rooms, Wright said.
The trip was the highlight of winter for the band, which has a busy schedule for the next few weeks. Wright said there will be state concert band assessment in two weeks. “And if the band earns a Superior rating, the band will become a five-time Virginia Honor Band.
The school’s Indoor Winter Guard and Indoor Percussion will be performing this weekend at Glenvar High School, and in March at Patrick Henry High School. Then come band championships at East Tennessee State University.
Wright said to raise money for the trip band members and Boosters sold coffee and popcorn in November, earned money from the Summer and Fall Music Games Drum Corp. Performances at Salem City Stadium, and sold Slice the Price Pizza cards.
Ninety four students plus Band Boosters went on the Floriday trip.
In order to be accepted into Imagination Campus, the band had to audition by submitting a recording of the band performing, Wright said, as well as videos from a competition show and even photos of the uniforms.
This was the year the Pride of Salem went on a big trip. “Every four years we do a bigger trip,” Wright said.
“Our Band Boosters work super, super hard,” he added. The Pride of Salem still goes away to Band Camp in the summer at Camp Bethel in Botetourt County.
“We get so much done,” Wright said.
