Northeast Portland is throwing its 33rd annual St Patrick's Day Parade (read the story of this quirky event here). It's a small but growing parade, we've enjoyed it, and they REALLY want us back. Besides, it's a good chance to practice our marching and warm up for the summer season.

Uniform:   DRESS uniform: TBGO polo shirt, TBGO hat, black pants/belt, black socks, black shoes. The weather wi ll be ... middling. Predicted weather is "rain early, then remaining cloudy with showers" and temps near 50 degrees. Choosing the correct jacket is tricky, so we're gonna try something new -- you can choose! Any of these is fine:

• No jacket, with or without black turtleneck beneath the shirt;
• TBGO black lightweight jacket (if you don't have the jacket, may substitute any solid black non-logoed jacket);
• TBGO letterman jacket;
• Add clear plastic raincoat if you like.

NOTE: If you wear a jacket, please wear your shirt TUCKED-IN.

Additional garb and decorations:   This is a St Patrick's Day parade, so please do add green and shamrocks. You may augment or substitute appropriate St Patrick's headgear for the TBGO hat. Please don't alter other parts of the uniform (no kilts, bagpipes, sporrans, leprechaun shoes, etc).

COVID Notes: Masks are not required during the parade; consider having a mask available for pre- and post-parade use depending on the crowd and situation.

Meet:   At Noon at Beverly Cleary School, NE 33rd Ave and NE Hancock St. (See map; click here for printable PDF). (Click here for Google map and directions.) We will stage in the blacktop area behind the school.

Parking:   Parking is primarily on-street and not difficult; see map for options. UPDATE: The former QFC grocery store on NE 33rd Ave between Schuyler and Hancock is now a CVS Pharmacy. The parade organizer is checking with the store to see whether they mind having us park there. If you see orange cones at the entrances to CVS parking, then DO NOT park there. If parking is permitted, please use spaces located AWAY from the store entrance.

Parade Route: Parade steps off at 1 PM heading west on Hancock St, turns north on 17th Ave, then returns to the school on Tillamook St. Parade route is about 1.6 mi long. Expect parts of the route to be narrow (kinda like Multnomah Village).

Parade Music:

1. Dancing in the Street
2. Fireball
3. I'm Shipping Up to Boston
4. Venus

Introduction

Toward the end of 2021 the Board surveyed the band to get a sense of how ready everyone is to begin traveling again using Medford and Gatlinburg, TN as two possible travel ideas. Currently, we have tabled further action on Medford. However, we now want to see if there would be enough committed travelers for a cost-reduced Gatlinburg trip. If there is sufficient interest to field a viable band we'll begin formal signups (with travel deposits etc.) shortly. The link below will take you to a survey that will let us determine whether to move forward with a Gatlinburg trip. Please read the material below and then use the survey link to give us your input.

*** CLICK HERE TO TAKE THE GATLINBURG SURVEY ***

Located in the heart of the Great Smoky Mountains, Gatlinburg, Tennessee has long been a tourist draw and has a unique approach to celebrating the Fourth. Since 1975, the town has kicked off the holiday with the Fourth of July Midnight Parade. A spectacular fireworks display begins at 11:00 pm on July 3, followed by the parade stepping off at 12:01 a.m. on July 4. The parade has been named by National Geographic Traveler Magazine as a "Top Ten Parade to see in the US" and recognized by Livability.com as one of the "Five Best Fourth of July Celebrations in Smaller Cities." Additionally, the event has earned multiple Grand Pinnacle Awards by the International Festivals and Events Association and was named a Top 20 Event by the Southeast Tourism Society. The parade was held as scheduled in 2021. It's about 1.2 miles in length and travels through the main street of downtown Gatlinburg.

Tom has reworked this trip itinerary to reduce cost by changing where we fly in/out and making it a 3-night trip instead of a 4-night trip. We'll travel to Asheville, NC (AVL) via Atlanta (ATL) or Charlotte, NC (CLT); we return to Portland from CLT. Departing via late evening flights on July 1 saves at least $100 per person, so that's the plan. There are lots of hotels in Gatlinburg, but they're not really suitable for our needs so we plan to stay at the Drury Inn in Knoxville for 3 nights. Nice property and includes a buffet breakfast each morning in their restaurant (not just a few tables in the lobby) plus daily happy hour each day at 530 pm with drinks and food.

As always, you are welcome to make your own travel arrangements instead of using the band travel package. Those desiring to spend more time in the region may do so; just let Tom know at time of booking whether you want to fly home on another date from Charlotte or from a completely different airport. Car rental and hotels can be arranged separately as well.

Naturally, we would take advantage of the local attractions as we usually do. Here's a brief description of the itinerary:

Downtown Gatlinburg

Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Ober Gatlinburg Aerial Tramway

Dollywood

World's Fanciest McDonald's

Preliminary Pricing

	Double Occupancy	Triple Occupancy	Quad Occupancy	Single Occupancy
Land costs (per person)	$816.00	$708.00	$540.00	$1140.00
Round trip airfare*	$688.00 - $790.00	$688.00 - $790.00	$688.00 - $790.00	$688.00 - $790.00
Total (per person)	$1504.00 - $1606.00	$1396.00 - $1498.00	$1228.00 - $1330.00	$1828.00 - $1930.00

• Round trip airfare shown at time of publication, subject to change, exploring group airfares.
• Land Package Includes:
  • Drury Hotel – 3 Nights with tax, including daily buffet breakfast and happy hour.
  • Admission to Dollywood, Ober Gatlinburg Tram, Biltmore Estate.
  • All motor coach transportation with gratuity to the driver.
  • 2 lunches included (Aerial Top of Tram and McDonald's Biltmore.
• As a reminder, the current survey is an interest survey and does not commit you to travel. Optional trip insurance (recommended) will be available later on during signup if we decide to make the trip. In addition to the usual Travel Insured International Worldwide Trip Protector offering, a new Cancel for Any Reason (CFAR) offering will be available that returns 75% of your trip cost if you cancel for any reason.

*** CLICK HERE TO TAKE THE GATLINBURG SURVEY ***

Biltmore Estate

Australia Moves to November 2023 (sigh!)

It's certainly disappointing to defer Australia for one more year, but reality intrudes. Both Australia and New Zealand have kept their borders tightly controlled to contain the spread of Coronavirus. The two countries are just beginning to carefully/slowly open up. Qantas flights started flying out of LAX last week but only for a limited audience beginning with Australia citizens who are spread around the world and have been unable to return home because of the border closures. The next group will be college students and visa holders with work permits. USA/Canadian citizens may start to make their way back in early March, although re-opening dates are subject to change. In addition, airfares are still expensive at this time.

The other worrisome element is the parade itself. Both last year and this year the National Pharmacies Christmas Pageant has been reduced to a lap around the track at the Adelaide Oval. This is still pretty fun if you're a kid watching the floats etc from the stands, but not so much if you're a marching band who's trekked 8,261 miles to perform. Given that the speed of things reopening is unpredictable and Australia has been quite conservative so far, we can't predict what the Pageant will look like in 2022.

Overall, it's pretty clear that we should plan for 2023 rather than 2022. The good news is that our investment is still protected: all our deposits will be honored by those holding them. And if we reach 2023 and you decide NOT to make the trip, we should be able to transfer your deposit to newcomers in the band who want to go. In summary: Kind of a bummer, but we have to work with the world we've got rather than the world we wish we had.