By Casey Vanderstouw

Baldwinsville Marching Band Director

The Baldwinsville Marching Band arrived in Los Angeles last week for the 131st annual Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena, California! As you can imagine, transporting over 150 people (including luggage, instruments, uniforms, and props) across the country and back is a daunting task. I wanted to take a moment and give thanks to our community for their incredible support of the band’s efforts to get here.

I want to thank our school district and board of education for always supporting the band. From the very beginning of this process, our school officials helped us develop and implement our plan for getting to California. I want to thank all of my colleagues in the Baldwinsville Central School District: fellow teachers, support staff, transportation workers, custodial workers, the athletic department, district technology, and our incredible social media department. So many of you went above and beyond in assisting with this trip, and for those of you who personally donated money and resources to these kids, you have my eternal thanks.

I want to thank our program coordinator, Kelly Cullen, for her incredible work planning this trip (and so many others), and our driver Mike Wells who sacrificed his entire holiday season to drive our equipment all the way across the country and back. Thanks as well to Gypsum Express for the use of their equipment for the past decade.

I want to thank the parents of these hard-working students for their support of such an ambitious goal, and for their continued encouragement of their children and of our instructors.

I want to thank all of the businesses and individuals in the Baldwinsville and greater central New York community who supported us in countless ways.

For all of our students and instructors who dedicated their time and energy to this band over the past year, please know that I am incredibly grateful and proud to have worked with you. When we were officially invited in October 2018, we realized that having only one year of preparation would be difficult to say the least. Almost one-third of the current band hadn’t even joined the group yet when the trip was first announced! Getting our brand new members up to speed is a testament to the quality of our instructors, and to the dedication of our student leadership. In the past year alone, these band members have performed in numerous parades, winter guard and indoor drumline competitions, field band competitions, college exhibitions, pep band athletic and community events (including the release of a full-length vinyl record of recordings celebrating the prior 10 years), and of course the ongoing preparations for the Tournament of Roses parade and field show. Their incredible work ethic speaks for itself.

Lastly, I want to sincerely thank all of the alumni, former instructors and parents of the Baldwinsville Marching Band for their dedication and passion throughout the years. The Bees are the second oldest competitive marching band in New York state, and we are all incredibly fortunate to have played a part in continuing the legacy and strong tradition of excellence that our program is known for.

It is my hope that when our community sees the Marching Bees perform in the Rose Parade on Jan. 1, it is realized that many people played important roles in helping the program get to this level. The pride we all shared in representing New York state in the Macy’s parade five years ago, and now in the Tournament of Roses parade is something our students and community will never, ever forget. Thanks to everyone who helped make this dream, and future dreams, a reality.

Go Bees!