March down Colorado Boulevard is tribute to community

Published 4:30 pm Monday, November 24, 2008

By Katherine Sather

During the Mercer Island High School marching band’s first appearance in the Tournament of Roses Parade 13 years ago, television broadcasters flashed to a commercial break at the crucial moment.

This year, band families have been assigned to watch and record each major network to get the band on tape. But some will get a firsthand look.

Five hundred community members plan to follow the band to the 117th Tournament of Roses Parade in California next week. Most are parents of band members, and many put in countless hours of volunteer work to ensure every student has a good experience. Band director Parker Bixby says they demonstrate the community’s immense support of the arts.

“It’s a great indication that not only do they value art education and music education in kids’ lives, they’re willing to stand up and support it,” Bixby said. “The kids have no idea how much work has been put in on their behalf.”

Last January parents formed a 24-member committee that has met on a monthly basis to keep parade plans on track. They’ve organized fund-raising, kept track of finances and even made a band Web site that counts down the days to the parade. The trip cost roughly $340,000, and three volunteer treasurers were put in charge of tracking individual student accounts, said Terry Pottmeyer, chair of the parent committee.

“It’s quite an accounting feat to have 270 kids each bringing in money, and making sure we did that right,” she said.

Each student needed $1,000 for the trip, which they raised successfully. Extra expenses amounted to about $70,000. This funded 40 new uniforms, which cost about $400 each, and 268 matching polo shirts for the kids to wear on the plane ride to California — making them easier for the chaperones to keep track of.

Most donations came from the Mercer Island community. Some mornings Bixby would arrive at his office to find a donation on his desk.

“It’s a really a testament of how a community comes together to support the band,” he said.

Parent volunteers created a logo for the band and sold merchandise like sweatshirts, T-shirts, and pins to raise awareness of the trip, Pottmeyer said. They also arranged events during the November visit from Libby Evans Wright, 2006 Rose Bowl president.

To remind them of all the work done on their behalf, students were required to complete 10 hours of community service. They completed clerical work, chores like polishing the sousaphones and clean-up duties at events like the celebration dinner with Wright. They inspired their parents along the way. Pottmeyer recalls that during Wright’s visit, volunteers took her on a boat ride around the Island and when they reached the South End, the band was waiting to give her a private concert on the shore.

Most families have signed on for a “parallel trip,” with the band, which leaves Dec. 27 and returns after the parade Jan. 2. They’ll accompany the band during performances and sit in bleachers during the parade, which begins at 8 a.m. and lasts about two and a half hours.

The parade was started more than a century ago to celebrate California’s mild climate, and has grown to an internationally known event. Television ratings show the 2005 parade was viewed by 18 million households.

Mercer Island will make an appearance mid-way through, so Pottmeyer encourages TV viewers to keep their eyes peeled.