Event Information for Band Members
Click the event name for information on staging time and location,
uniform of the day, maps, etc.
 Events
that have already passed or for which
we do not yet have staging info
are not listed here. See the Performances page.
| Date |
Event |
June 21, 2017 |
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June 24, 2017 |
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July 4, 2017 |
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July 8, 2017 |
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August 19, 2017 |
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Sept 15-17, 2017 |
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April 2018 or April 2019 |
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Click event names to jump
to info for that event.
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General Info:
- If you
need MUSIC for an event, email the
TBGO Librarian (currently Dan Dees) as soon as possible so that he can
have parts ready for you. You can reach him as librarian@thebeatgoesonmb.org.
- If
you can't find info on this page that was announced in email,
try refreshing the page in your browser (Ctrl-R or Ctrl-Shift-R).
- If you
want to print part of the information on this page but not the whole
page, try selecting the stuff you want to print, then choose Print,
then check "Selection" in the area that says Print Range or
Page Range.
- Events
that have already passed or for which we do not yet have staging info
are not listed here. For the complete list of the
year's events, see the Performances page.
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Fête de la Musique - Wed June 21
Make Music is a free celebration of music around the world on June 21st. Launched in 1982 in France as the Fête de la Musique, it is now held on the same day in more than 750 cities in 120 countries.
Completely different from a typical music festival, Make Music is open to anyone who wants to take part. Every kind of musician — young and old, amateur and professional, of every musical persuasion — pours onto streets, parks, plazas, and porches to share their music with friends, neighbors, and strangers. All of it is free and open to the public.
 Meeting Info: Meet at 12:45 pm at the staging room of the French American International School (same place we met last time), 8500 NW Johnson St. You can use this link to get a map and directions.
Bus Pickup Option: NEW TIME As you may remember from our March gig, parking in and around the school can be a bit challenging. The folks at the school are offering an easy option this time: bus pickup! Park in either of the parking areas at the intersection of NW Cornell Rd & NW Skyline Blvd as shown on the map at right. A shuttle bus from the school will depart from the lot at 12:30 pm and transport you directly to the school. You'll be dropped off at Lot B shown on the overhead map view (directly below). Following the gig, the shuttle bus will return you to your car. Quick note: Our gig will end at 2:30, but the bus can't get through the crush of parent cars to return us to our cars until some time between 3:30 and 3:45. That's okay because it'll give you a chance to walk around and hear the other music groups performing, but if you need to head out sooner than 3:30 you should plan to use the Neighborhood Parking option.
Neighborhood Parking: If you don't want to use the shuttle bus option, you can park near the school, mostly likely using neighborhood parking since the school's parking lots are small and likely to be full.
IMPORTANT: Do NOT park in the Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue parking lot!!!
The French American International School (FAIS) has two small parking lots as shown on map above and at right. Lot A is entered from NW Johnson St, Lot B is entered from NW Miller Rd. The two lots are not connected. If you come REALLY EARLY you might get lucky in one of the two lots, but I think your best bet is to park elsewhere as further described. I do NOT recommend trying to use the school lots.
One choice for neighborhood parking is north of Cornell Rd along NW 87th Ave or NW 88th Ave or adjoining streets. Parking here should be relatively straightforward. 87th is closer, but parking along 88th may be easier. Note that the two streets DO connect via loop. The only issue with this area is that you have to cross Cornell Rd on foot, which may be a bit tricky since Cornell can be quite busy. If the traffic is so bad that you can't successfully cross the street, you may need to walk east along Cornell to Miller Rd where there's a traffic light.
Your second choice is to turn onto NW Ash St from NW Miller Rd. This is a residential neighborhood and there should be parking available. The downsides to this location are (1) Ash St goes pretty steeply uphill as you go toward Miller Rd, so you've got an uphill hike; (2) there is no sidewalk along Miller Rd between Ash St and Lot B; and (3) the walk from the Ash St parking area to FAIS via Lot B is about 0.3 miles.
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Parade Route: Parade steps off at 1:00 pm. Parade route begins at the school, proceeds west along NW Johnson St to the fire station, then reverses course and heads back toward the school before peeling off to end at the soccer field. Total distance is about 1000 feet (whew!).
Immediately following the parade, we'll play a 20 minute set at the soccer field (which is artificial turf), ending around 1:30 pm. We'll then have a break of about 30 minutes. At 2:00 we're back on the field for a second set (30 minutes this time). Basically, we'll play from about 1:00 to 1:30 and then from 2:00 to 2:30. We finish at 2:30 and then have an hour to walk around and enjoy other music being performed. At 3:30, head back toward the shuttle bus pickup location, and the bus will arrive to bring you back to your car at Cornell & Skyline around 3:45 pm.
Uniform: The school setting makes a "long pants" uniform more appropriate, so we'll go with Dress Uniform: TBGO purple collared polo shirt (now our ONLY uniform shirt), black pants/belt, black shoes/socks, TBGO hat.
Parade Music:
- Wooly Bully
- Fireball
- Domino
1st Standstill Set:
Uptown Funk
Heartache Tonight
One Mint Julep
Bang Bang
Wooly Bully
Fireball
2nd Standstill Set:
Poker Face
Five O'Clock World
Confident
I'm Shipping Up to Boston
Build Me Up, Buttercup
Hey! Baby
Uma Thurman
Happy
Bad Romance
YMCA
Sweet Caroline
Runaway Baby
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Ace Hotel 10th Anniversary - Sat June 24
The Ace Hotel is celebrating its 10th Anniversary -- and we've been invited AS A SUPRISE to help make it memorable!
Meet: At the corner of NW Stark St and NW 13th Ave, near McMenamin's Crystal Ballroom at 6 PM.
IMPORTANT: Please stay away from the 14th Avenue side of the Crystal Ballroom since our client's guests will be entering from that side and we are supposed to be a surprise.
Parking: Your choice of downtown parking. One location convenient to our meeting spot is an underground garage at the Brewery Blocks; enter on NW 12th Ave between NW Couch St and NW Davis St.
Uniform: Informal Uniform: TBGO collared polo shirt (our ONLY uniform shirt!), BLACK shorts, black belt (if you use a belt), white socks, white shoes, TBGO cap. See the Uniform page for more info about acceptable shorts and shoes.
Order of Events: Guests (several hundred expected) will arrive at Lola's Room (an upstairs room in the Crystal Ballroom) at 5:30 pm. We will begin staging on the OPPOSITE side of the Crystal Ballroom beginning at 6 pm. At about 6:30 pm, we will move the band "upstream" along Burnside St so that we are positioned near the exit that guests will take as they depart the Crystal Ballroom. We'll take a very small group (few brass, bass drum, some dancers/twirlers) into Lola's Room and use the Olympic Fanfares to announce our presence and get the attention of the guests. At that point, our auxiliaries become "follow me!" people and lead the guests outside. We'll fire up the band and do a very slow, ooze-down-the-sidewalk parade (more of a stroll than a march) for three blocks along Burnside St and Stark Street until we reach the Ace Hotel (1022 SW Stark St). Stark St will be blocked off between 10th and 11th Ave for an outdoor party. TBGO will set up here and do a 30-40 minute show to end our part of the gig.
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Post-Gig Party and Guests: We are invited to stick around for the street party once we're finished playing, with free hot dogs and beer. Spouses/guests are welcome to join the fun at no charge. The "dress theme" for the event is black & white, so any guests are asked to skew their dress toward black & white if possible (our uniforms already match well). And as Ham points out: "Hey, it may even be fertile ground for recruiting!"
Get Their Attention Tune:
Olympic Fanfare - Mashup of #1 & #5
Olympic Fanfare #3 (maybe ...)
Parade Tunes:
Uptown Funk
Wooly Bully
Fireball
Standstill Tunes:
Confident
Poker Face
Bang Bang
Heartache Tonight
YMCA
One Mint Julep
Uptown Funk
Happy
Unchain My Heart
Uma Thurman
Fireball
Sweet Caroline
Runaway Baby |
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There's no bus or other special transport to Hood River; self-drive for everyone!
Uniform: Informal Uniform: TBGO collared polo shirt (our ONLY uniform shirt!), BLACK shorts, black belt (if you use a belt), white socks, white shoes, TBGO cap. See the Uniform page for more info about acceptable shorts and shoes.
Meet: At 8:45 AM in the parking area behind the Columbia Gorge Family Medicine building (1750 12th Street, Hood River). There are bathrooms and water available inside the Columbia Gorge Family Medicine Building, and Dutch Bros. coffee is not far away if you need your fix (you can see it on the map).
Directions: From Portland, take I-84 East to Exit 62, which puts you on U.S. 30 / Cascade Ave (see map at right). Follow U.S. 30, then turn right on 13th St. After about 0.7 miles, 13th St merges with 12th St. Continue ahead on 12th St for another 0.1 mi, then turn right on College Way (Pacific Ave will be on your left, College Way on your right). Park behind the Columbia Gorge Family Medicine building 1750 12th Street. Click here for additional personalized directions.
Parade: Parade steps off at 10 AM . The parade route (below right, blue line) runs north on 12th St and appears to be about 0.7 miles long, ending at Jackson Park.
Standstill: Jackson Park (at the end of the parade route) has music, food, and other attractions until 3 PM. There will be a short ceremony immediately after the parade ends; we will play The Star-Spangled Banner and a couple of patriotic tunes as part of the ceremony, which will end around 12:30. After the ceremony ends, we will play a 40-minute standstill show -- and then there's lunch!!!
The Banner: We've been asked if it would be possible to have a vocalist join us for The Star-Spangled Banner. I said "yes", so that may happen. If so, she may join us in the staging area before the parade so that she can rehearse it with us. (I've already sent a recording she can work with in the meantime.)
Food: Following our standstill there's lunch for the band at Jackson Park. Yay!!! We need to get an approximate headcount for lunch tickets; please check in via this survey link by June 30 if you plan to be in Hood River and would like a lunch ticket. THIS INCLUDES ALL AUXILIARY UNITS AND SUPPORT STAFF!!!
July 4 Evening: There is a 10 PM fireworks show over the river if you'd like to stick around. The show runs 30 minutes and is quite spectacular!
Parade Music:
- National Anthem March
- Uptown Funk
- Veterans Salute
- Fireball
- Tribute to America
Standstill Ceremony Music:
Star-Spangled Banner
Semper Paratus
Veterans Salute
Standstill Show Music:
Confident
Bang Bang
Heartache Tonight
I'm Shipping Up to Boston
Uptown Funk
Unchain My Heart
One Mint Julep
Uma Thurman
Fireball
Sweet Caroline
America the Beautiful
We're an American Band |
Click map to enlarge
Click map to enlarge
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Donald Hazelnut Festival 2017 (Sat July 8)
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| Look! It's Donald Filbert!!! |
According to the Oregon Hazelnuts website, "Oregon boasts an ideal climate for growing the world’s highest quality hazelnuts. It is in this special corner of the world where temperate ocean, mountain and river climates meet with rich volcanic soils to create prime hazelnut-growing country. Oregon produces 99 percent of the U.S. hazelnut crop. While representing just five percent of the world crop, Oregon hazelnuts have become the global benchmark for inshell excellence, recognized for their large size and distinctive flavor." Well, that's worth celebrating -- and the town of Donald does exactly that each year at the Donald Hazelnut Festival.
This is TBGO's first visit to Donald (population 979), so we're looking forward to making new friends! Donald is located a bit southwest of Wilsonville. The Festival's 2017 theme is "God Bless Small Town America".
Uniform: Informal Uniform: TBGO collared polo shirt (our ONLY uniform shirt!), BLACK shorts, black belt (if you use a belt), white socks, white shoes, TBGO cap. See the Uniform page for more info about acceptable shorts and shoes.
Meet: At 9:30 AM in the staging area for the parade along Rees St NE as shown on Street Closure map below right (green lines) . When/if I get a more precise location, I'll update you.
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Directions: Head south on I-5 to exit 278 (Donald/Aurora). Turn right onto Ehlen Road NE. In 1.6 miles, turn left on Butteville Rd NE; you'll reach downtown Donald in about a half mile. To head east across town, you'll need to use Cone St NE since Oak St and Main St (Donald Rd) will be closed to traffic beginning at 6 am (see Street Closure Map). Click here for additional personalized directions.
Parking: Parking info still TBD. Note street closures on map at right.
Parade: Parade steps off at 11 am. The parade route (red lines on map) looks to be about 0.5 miles. A shortie!!!
(More Info Below) |
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Standstill: We will play a 45 minute standstill in City Park beginning at 1 pm. City Park is located along Oak St between Crissell St and Feller St (see Standstill Staging map below right).
Parade Music:
- Uptown Funk
- I'm Shipping Up to Boston
- Heartache Tonight
- Fireball
Standstill Music:
Confident
Bang Bang
Heartache Tonight
Fireball
One Mint Julep
Unchain My Heart
I'm Shipping Up to Boston
Happy
Uptown Funk
Uma Thurman
Salute to Julie and Homer
Sweet Caroline
Tribute to America
Veterans Salute
America the Beautiful
Beer Barrel
Runaway Baby |
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Multnomah Village 2017
More info on event logistics later, but here are the parade tunes for Multnomah Village. OUR GOAL IS TO DO THIS AS A "NO MUSIC" PARADE - EVERYONE WORK ON MEMORIZING THESE 4 TUNES FOR THIS PARADE. Let's see how close we can get!
Parade Tunes:
- Wooly Bully
- Fireball
- I'm Shipping Up to Boston
- Poker Face
Southern Oregon Swing Tour
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Go South, Young Band Associate!!! It's time for TBGO to head to a corner of our state that we don't visit often. It's a long weekend swing down the bea-Utiful Oregon Coast. We'll get the chance to play in towns that haven't seen us before AND are excited that we're coming, and we'll be hooking up with local area bands, too. Close to home and good times -- what's not to like, so let's head south! |
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(click any photo to enlarge)
Old Town Florence
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Trip Overview
Friday September 15 - Depart Beaverton promptly at 800 am and head south on I-5. (Our exact departure point isn't settled yet since Beaverton is develWe'll stop in Eugene for our morning rest stop and coffee break, then turn west on Hwy # 126 to reach Florence on the Oregon Coast.
 Nestled along the Siuslaw River, Historic Old Town Florence offers lovely, unique, fun shopping and dining to locals and tourists. It’s all blended with colorful and creative art galleries, the quaint path through Gazebo Park to the river, and the Siuslaw River Bridge Interpretive Center, where you'll have time for lunch on your own at riverside tables while you listen to the call of the sea gulls flying over the fishing boats as they pass under f amous Siuslaw Bridge.
After lunch it's time for our first performance of the trip. Florence will be the 21st Oregon city in which TBGO has performed and it should be a fun one! We've arranged a joint standstill concert in the heart of Old Town with local area bands from Siuslaw High School (Vikings) and Mapleton High School (Sailors), so it'll be quite an event. |
Siuslaw River Bridge
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Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area
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Following the show it's onward on Highway 101south. We're headed for Coos Bay, but along the way we've got a rest stop at Honeyman State Park, where we getan opportunity to visit the famous sand dunes of the Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area. The Oregon Dunes are a unique area of windswept sand that is the result of millions of years of wind and rain erosion on the Oregon Coast. Stretching some 40 miles from the Siuslaw River at Florence to the Coos River in North Bend, this is part of the Siuslaw National Forest and is administered by the United States Forest Service. We'll have time to walk around and climb the dunes (and maybe go running down a dune yelling like a nut) before continuing on to Coos Bay. |
Footprints in the Sands of, er, Sand ...
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Conde B. McCullough Memorial Bridge, Coos Bay
Small Bites at Whitecaps
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We arrive at The Mill Hotel and Casino, our home away from home (more about our hotel below). You have the rest of the day/evening on your own to enjoy. If you're a gambler, perhaps enjoy some time at the Casino. If you're an eater (wait! that's all of us!), there are five restaurants to choose from on the Casino/Hotel grounds. The Plank House, a bayside restaurant, includes an in-house bakery. On Friday and Saturday nights you can enjoy a buffet dinner in The Saw Blade from 400 pm – 900 pm with prime rib, salmon, lasagna, chicken and much more for $16.95 a person. At Warehouse 101, a sports bar / nightclub mashup lets you choose from 20 craft brews, enjoy live music and dancing, and try what's billed as "the popular Oregon Coast Frog Dog" (not EVEN gonna ask ...). Plus Whitecaps, a small intimate martini style bar, and the quick grab n’ go style Timbers Café. Or boogie the night away at the Rotary Cruz Dance Party (Free, 21 and older) featuring Timberwolf in the Salmon Room right at our Casino/Hotel.
If you prefer, there is a shuttle service that will take you to many restaurants in the area in North Bend and Coos Bay. The shuttles can transport up to 14 passengers at a time. Grab some dinner, and if you like check out what's happening at the Fun Festival. |
Coos Bay by Night
Saw Blade Buffet
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Prefontaine Run
Busy time at the Fun Festival
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On Saturday morning, a hot breakfast starts at 700 am in our own private dining area. We load coaches at 830 am to head for our standstill concert for the Steve Prefontaine Memorial 10K Run and Fun Walk that kicks off at 945 am near Marshfield High School. Now in its 38th year, the popular run got its start when a group of Coos Bay citizens decided it was time that Steve Prefontaine's hometown did something to honor its favorite son. Coos Bay will be city #22 on our all-time Oregon list!
 Following the show there's time to forage for lunch on your own in the downtown area of Coos Bay before the 1.1 mile “Fun Festival Parade” steps off at 100 pm through downtown Coos Bay.
 A joint standstill concert with both Marshfield High School and North Bend High School is being worked on for either pre or post parade. We should be returning to our hotel by 400 pm.
There are all kinds of events and activities that take place in town and on the waterfront, including an evening Cruz-In. Not just a static car show -- they'll be cruising the streets of Coos Bay from 6 to 8 pm.
Yeah, not sure this is what I'd have name it ...
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Let's have a parade!
Geez, don't bite his head off!
The Cruz-In hits the streets
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Azales in Bloom at Shore Acres State Park
Ocean view from Shore Acres
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On Sunday morning, breakfast begins at 730 am. Why so early? Why, we've got things to do before we head home!
We depart near 900 am for beautiful Sunset Beach and Shore Acres State Park & Gardens, just outside of Coos Bay and situated right on the Pacific Ocean. You will have plenty of time to appreciate the beauty of the botanical garden and the incredible landscapes and scenic views. Note: We originally thought we'd get to play a show here as well, but it turns out that the pavilion and surrounding areas are booked for a wedding this day, so no dice. But it'll still be gorgeous!
From here we head up the Oregon Coast Hwy # 101 north to Florence for our lunch stop. After lunch we continue on Hwy. # 126 to Eugene for our rest stop and coffee break. We continue north on the I-5 with return to Beaverton near 530 pm.
Three days, four performances, two brand new Oregon cities for us. Good times! |
Cape Arago lighthouse near Shore Acres State Park
Spectacular waves at Shore Acres
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The Mill Hotel & Casino
Room with King Bed
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Hotel
The Mill Hotel & Casino
3201 Tremont Avenue
North Bend, OR 97459
Phone (541) 756-8800
(map)
Our room at the hotel are split between the Lodge and the Tower. All rooms feature refrigerators, complimentary WiFi, Red Wagon Organic Coffee, and luxurious pillow top beds. There's a relaxing indoor pool with two outdoor spas. Near the pool you can find the Arcade, featuring a variety of classic games such as air hockey, pinball, and claw machines. There's a full-service business center and a fitness room with cardio equipment, free weights, and an expansive ocean view. Nice, huh?
We'll be staying for 2 nights, with cooked breakfast each morning (our buffet breakfasts will be in a conference room reserved for us).
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Room with Two Queen Beds
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Trip Options and Pricing
Increasing hotel and motor coach prices make this trip a bit more expensive than we'd hoped, but it still fits into our "mini-trip" price range. In addition, we are offering an Early Booking Discount (see details below) to help ease the sting.
We are not offering a hotel-only option for this trip because we snapped up all the available rooms at the Mill Hotel & Casino and we have only enough to cover those arriving on the bus. You are still welcome to drive to the event on your own, but you will be responsible for making your own hotel arrangements as well.
Adults family members are welcome to join the trip (sorry, no children).
In accordance with the TBGO Rooming Policy, you MUST submit a VERIFIED rooming list with the
names of all roommates if you choose a Triple or Quad room. "Verified"
means that you need to make sure that your proposed roommates agree with
the list; you don't get to just list random people and hope for the best!
Please see the TBGO Rooming Policy for
details on the policy, including information about adding your name to,
or seeking roommates from, the Available
Roommate List.
Pricing shown is per-person for various rooming configurations. THE SOUTHERN OREGON SWING TOUR TRIP IS NON-REFUNDABLE.
Pricing for Southern Oregon Swing Tour Trip
| Room Type |
Trip Package Cost (per person) |
| Single |
$611.00 |
| Double |
$437.00 |
| Triple* |
$387.00 |
| Quad* |
$361.00 |
*See TBGO Rooming Policy
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Trip Package includes:
- Round trip motor coach Beaverton/Coos Bay with tip to our drivers
- 2-Nights at The Mill Hotel w/tax and full cooked breakfast each morning
THE SOUTHERN OREGON SWING TOUR TRIP IS NON-REFUNDABLE. You may wish to consider purchasing Travel Insurance to protect yourself in case of accident, illness, or other factors that preclude you from completing the trip; see details below.
Payments to Reserve Your Travel Package
TO RESERVE THE SOUTHERN OREGON SWING TOUR PACKAGE: Non-refundable deposit of $150 per person is due at signup. You may supply credit card information as part of your signup via Survey Monkey, or provide payment or credit card information directly to Travel by Tom Higham. A second non-refundable deposit of $100 is due by July 7, with final balance of trip cost due by August 11.
Late signups after June 1, 2017 will be accepted based on availability and are subject to price changes. Late signups may be difficult since we already know that hotel space will be tight.
Early Booking Discount
The TBGO Board is pleased to announce an Early Booking Discount (EBD) of $25 for all TBGO band associates who have been an ongoing part of the
TBGO performance team, including musicians, auxiliary unit members,
banner carriers, flag carriers, hydration (water) team, and other regular
support staff. You must sign up for the trip by Sunday May 14, 2017 to receive the Early Booking Discount. Early Booking Discount is not available for family members who do not perform with the band or band associates who have not performed with the band by May 20, 2017. (If you not previously performed with TBGO but sign up during the EBD period and perform with the band at the Keizer Iris Festival, you are eligible for the discount.) The Early Booking Discount lowers the prices in the Trip Pricing
section above by $25 and will be applied at the time of final payment for your trip.
Travel Insurance
TBGO travel packages (like most travel packages everywhere) are non-refundable. To protect yourself in case of problems that prevent or interrupt your travel, you may wish to consider purchasing travel insurance. TBGO travelers may optionally elect to purchase the Worldwide Trip Protector policy from Travel Insured International when signing up for this trip.
Trip cancellations can happen at any age, though the likelihood of health problems increases as we age. Travel insurance also protects you should you need to change travel plans because a family member develops health issues. Your policy protects you against such things as Trip Cancellation, Trip Interruption, Missed Connection, Itinerary Change, Travel Delay, Accident & Sickness Medical Expense, Emergency Medical Evacuation/Repatriation (Air Ambulance), Travel Accident Protection, Baggage & Personal Effects and Delayed Baggage. Additional coverage details are available at this link.
The premium for travel insurance varies by cost of trip and your age. Use this chart to estimate your insurance premium. Find the row of the chart that shows your trip cost, then slide across to the column with your age; the figure in the intersection is your cost to insure this trip. NOTE: Insurance pricing may vary slightly as this is not the most current insurance table.
Many people do not understand the value of travel insurance until certain things happen, such as having to cancel their trip due to illness, injury or death type reasons to themselves or other family members that would prevent them from taking a trip they have planned on going. Or, someone may need to cancel in the middle of their trip and come home early for similar reasons. You may believe that your home owner or other insurance may protect your investment if you are forced to cancel your trip, but typically it does not. Please note that the cancellation and trip interruption protection of the plan priced in the travel insurance chart above covers only documented illness, injury, and death. Those who desire expanded coverage (e.g., due to work related reasons, or for any reason whatever) can be insured using another policy type through Travel Insured International at additional cost; please contact Travel by Tom Higham with your needs.
To be sure you are fully covered, especially for pre-existing reasons, you must purchase your travel insurance within 21 days of your deposit (best to do it at the same time you are making your trip deposit so that way you know you have it handled). You will be offered an opportunity to purchase travel insurance when filling out the Survey Monkey sign-up for the trip.
Travel Assistance Program Awards
Sign Up for the 2017 Southern Oregon Swing Tour Trip
Use the Survey Monkey link below to sign up for the trip. If you are planning to make your own travel arrangements, please use the same link to let us know that you will be at the event so that we know who to expect at the performances.
If you are reserving a Triple or Quad room, please be sure you have a verified rooming list BEFORE you sign up (see TBGO Rooming Policy).
Click
here to sign up via Survey Monkey
SIGNUP DEADLINE IS THURSDAY JUNE 1, 2017
EBD DEADLINE IS SUNDAY MAY 14, 2017
Signups after June 1, 2017 will be accepted based on availability,
with pricing subject to change . |
Bloemencorso Bollenstreek - Netherlands Trip Poll
As announced in earlier email and at rehearsal, we are considering the possibility that our “big trip” for 2018 may be to the Netherlands. Bloemencorso Bollenstreek is a huge flower parade taking place every spring in the Netherlands, not far from Amsterdam. The parade features elaborate floats decorated with bulb flowers (tulips, daffodils, etc.) and is a major event. Check out this video to get a peek at the festivities. The parade winds 24 miles through several towns over the course of the weekend; I’m pretty sure bands don’t stick with the parade for the entire route (yikes!!!), but am still seeking more detailed info on what parts of the route include bands and how that all works.
This would be about a week-long trip and would definitely include sightseeing as part of the trip. Tom’s finger-in-the-air estimated cost is $1900 per person double occupancy; however, we anticipate using band funds and fundraising activities to lower that cost. With that in mind, I’ve created a survey that asks how likely you would be to attend this event at various price points, much as we did before we committed to the China trip in 2014. This way we’ll know whether we can assemble a solid band and how much money we’ll need to raise to make it happen. If we do decide to make this trip in April 2018 (AND if we get accepted!), we’ll start signups in the not-too-distant future. From a $$$ perspective, you’ll probably need a deposit of around $300 this summer to hold airfares etc, with the balance (however much that turns out to be) due around January. We could potentially make this trip in either April 2018 or April 2019 (and the survey asks you about both dates); my preference is “go early – don’t wait!” but we’ll need to gauge your interest and timing preferences.
With that said: THE SURVEY POLL ON THE NETHERLANDS TRIP is now open at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/3T6TDVC. The survey asks how likely you’d be to make this trip at price points ranging from $2000 per person to $0 per person (free) in April 2018 and April 2019. We also ask whether you have a preference between those two dates. If you have multiple travelers, please fill in a separate survey for each traveler since that simplifies our data analysis. Note that non-performers are (as always) welcome to travel with the band, but would be responsible for their own travel costs (i.e., travel costs for non-travelers will not be partially subsidized by TBGO).
I’m going to leave the poll open through April 29, but hey – you’ve already been thinking about this, so go ahead and take the poll soon. We appreciate your input since it will determine whether this trip is feasible (do we have enough interest, can we raise enough money). Thanks for your input!
Click pix to enlarge
Long-Term Travel Plans
Major Road Trips
The Board has been talking with members informally to get travel
ideas, and there's no shortage of fun things to do. After long discussion we
have a plan to propose, built using these criteria:
- Take account of the "recurring themes" we hear when talking to
band associates about travel opportunities.
- Target events with "cool factor". If we only get to do one a year,
it oughta count!
- Emphasize trips that center around existing events with large, enthusiastic crowds. It's more fun to play for lots of people, and it's a lot easier to draw a crowd when someone else has already done all the work.
- Have a reasonable belief that it's a trip/event we can successfully execute.
- Target locations that are likely to have broad appeal to members as "destinations"
- there should be fun, exciting touristy things we can do while we are in
the area.
- Try to keep major events 9-15 months apart.
- Work to keep each trip affordable to the best of our ability.
- "Start spreading the news" - work on bringing the band to each
major area of the country (and beyond).
- In general, avoid duplicating major trips that we've done previously - we
ain't gettin' any younger and there are LOTS of places to go!
- Look beyond one year to put a multi-year plan in place. We think that a
roadmap makes it easier for both the band staff and band associates to plan
ahead, and it can also act as a recruiting tool.
It's time to put together the new travel plan with your input and then head off for new adventures!
Here's our current thinking on major road trips:
April 2018 or 2019: Bloemencorso Bollenstreek (Netherlands)
Bloemencorso Bollenstreek is a huge flower parade taking place every spring in the Netherlands, not far from Amsterdam. The parade features elaborate floats decorated with bulb flowers (tulips, daffodils, etc.) and is a major event. See poll above to add your thoughts on making this trip.
Date TBD: Alaska Cruise
In the aftermath of our Bahamas cruise in 2012 we get lots of other "cruise"
suggestions, with Alaska being among the most popular.We would look at a departure
just after Rose Festival, before the rates climb to the stratosphere. This would
be an Inside Passage trip, probably departing from and returning to Seattle.
Typical itineraries on these trips include port stops at Ketchikan, Juneau,
and Skagway, plus one or more days of cruising in Glacier Bay National Park.
Plus whales, mountains, lots of gorgeous … you get the idea. The major problem with an Alaska trip is that there are no good existing events to target (the largest we can find is the July Fourth Parade in Juneau) and it would be challenging to coordinate a cruise schedule with events taking place in the ports. This would
have to be another "invent your own venue" kind of trip, much like the Bahamas, which takes more work and probably results in smallish crowds.
Estimated logistics: 7 nights, $1200-1400 per
person (which includes food and all the usual cruise ship amenities)
DATE TBD: Kentucky Derby
On the first Saturday in May, "the most exciting two minutes in sports" takes place at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. Two days before the Derby the Pegasus Parade rolls 1.7 miles through the streets of Louisville with giant helium balloons of recognized characters, spectacular floats, marching bands, equestrian units, local and national celebrities (previous Grand Marshals include William Shatner, Gladys Knight, Muhammad Ali, Chubby Checker, Mickey Mouse, and Cyndi Lauper), and exciting performance groups. We would probably NOT attend the actual Derby; general admission in the infield is $75-$100 (and you can't see the race), with grandstand seating in the multiple hundreds of dollars. But other local attractions include the Great Steamboat Race, a full slate of Festival events, and tours of the Louisville Slugger Baseball Bat Factory/Museum. We'd also probably arrange a "touring" day through the Bourbon Trail, My Old Kentucky Home, and (maybe) Lincoln's Birthplace in Hodgenville. Yet another possibility would be to make the 90 minute drive to Cincinnati for a performance along the Ohio River, a Cincinnati Reds game, or a visit to Kings Island amusement park. Estimate 4 nights, $1000 per person.
Date TBD: Hawaii
Another perennial request. The most likely opportunity would be the Honolulu Festival Parade of Bands in March. The parade, which draws some 40,000 viewers, is currently considered the best parade in the state. There is a band and orchestra festival the same weekend, but that seems more geared to concert band performances. Overall, we think Hawaii is a great vacation destination but only a so-so target for a band trip. Nonetheless, we'll keep an eye out because you never know when we'll find just the right thing! Estimate 4 nights, $900-$1100 per person.
Date TBD: Cultural Tour of Cuba
We love the idea of a cultural barnstorming tour through Cuba, but it's still a little too soon for us to consider it - not enough flights, not enough rooms, too hard to execute. But we're gonna keep an eye on this one. Estimate 6 nights, $2000 per person.
Date TBD: McDonald's Thanksgiving Parade (Chicago)
We receive multiple solicitations for the McDonald's Thanksgiving Parade in Chicago each year, so our odds of getting in would probably be okay. Pluses: Major city, major parade, giant balloons, nationwide TV coverage on WGN, new area of country for us, holiday shopping along the Miracle Mile. Minuses: Chicago in November .... Estimate 3 nights at $950.
Date TBD: Village Halloween Parade (New York City)
Hundreds of giant puppets, more than 50 bands with music from around the world, thousands of New Yorkers in costumes of their own creation - sounds pretty wild, huh? And October would undoubtedly be warmer than, oh, the Macy's Parade in November. (Speaking of which: We think we would have to signficantly grow the band to even consider applying for Macy's, and we'd also have to be much "spiffier" in our uniforms and routines.) Anyway - Halloween in Greenwich Village could be fun! Estimate 3 nights at $1000-1100; would probably offer optional extensions.
Other "Big Ideas"
There are plenty of other ideas floating around, including a return to China (for example, the Luoyang Peony Festival with a side trip to see the Terracotta Warriors of X'ian), a return to New Orleans for Mardi Gras, etc. Both Bristol, Rhode Island and the Calgary Stampede have told us we'd be welcome back. The Board plans to work through some of these ideas and we also plan to survey our band associates to see what sounds popular and then put together a plan.
Regional Trips and Mini-Trips
Besides our annual "big road trip", we want to make
a conscious effort to broaden our reach in regional events. This will certainly
include day trips, but we'd also love to add roughly one "mini-trip"
each year if the band can support it. In general, we'd try to space mini-trips
so that they don't fall right on top of a major trip (i.e., we'll try to create
"breathing room" between trips as much as we can.) A mini-trip would
typically be closer to home, include a 1-2 night hotel stay, and cost in the
range of $200-$350. Examples of mini-trips that we've done include the Wenatchee Appleblossom Festival, Pendleton
Round-Up, Medford Pear Blossom Festival, White Rock (BC) Sea Festival, and Rogers Santa Claus Parade (Vancouver,
BC).
New ideas that we're considering include:
- Cherry Blossom (The Dalles, OR) - day trip
- Boatnik Festival (Grants Pass, OR)
- Lilac Festival (Spokane, WA) - nation's largest Torchlight parade on Armed
Forces Day
- Leavenworth, WA autumn tour (day trip)
- Christmas Festival (Coeur d'Alene, ID)
- Hyack International Parade (New Westminster, BC)
Useful Contact Information
Many of you have worked with Tom Higham, who handles TBGO's overnight travel
(and personal travel for many of us).
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