Heritage High School marching band hopes it’s not playing blues

By Annie McCallum

Published: November 18, 2008

- For more information, call Hand at (434) 582-1147. Checks can be mailed to Heritage High School, 3020 Wards Ferry Road, Lynchburg, VA 24502.

Heritage High School marching band participants have worked feverishly in recent months to raise funds for a trip to Atlanta, but they’ve come up short — and time is running out.

The school’s band has been invited to participate in college football’s Chick-Fil-A Bowl on Dec. 31, but is struggling to come up with the final payment for the trip.

“We’ve got some students having difficulty raising money,” said band director Mike Hand. “It’s just hard times.”

Each student must raise $400 to fund the nearly $45,000 trip, Hand said, but the economic squeeze facing the country has made it difficult for students to pay their way and earn money through fundraisers.

Throughout the year the band has sold fruit to raise dough and will continue to do so. They will also sell fruit the first weekend in December on the corner of Leesville and Timberlake roads.

Hand said his group is in need of about $6,000 and must make a decision about whether to attend the bowl by Dec. 5. So far, they have turned in two of three payments and students have continued to practice two to three days a week.

“The kids, bless their hearts, are keeping a very optimistic view,” he said.

Hand said the band’s dream of landing a spot in the bowl came last September when they were first approached about performing. The group then had to submit a tape of its performance and send an application.

“I’m sure countless bands applied and they took 15 this year,” Hand said.

When students learned they were selected, they were thrilled.

“Students are very excited,” Hand said. “A lot of these kids have not left Virginia, let along performed in the Georgia Dome.”

Hand said he hopes the group will be able to perform at the bowl. They’ve already received several donations and students aren’t ready to give up.

“They have the kind of attitude: ‘We want to go and we’re not going to let anything stand in our way,’” he said.