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 for a full list of events.

 

Date Event
March 17, 2024/td>

NE Portland St. Patrick's Day Parade

May 24-26, 2024

Hyack Festival

  Long-Term Travel Plans
Click event names to jump to info for that event.

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.

Northeast Portland St. Patrick's Day Parade -
Sun Mar 17, 2024

Northeast Portland is throwing its 35th 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. You may augment or substitute appropriate St Patrick's headgear for the TBGO hat. The weather is likely to be unpredictable. Rainy? Warm? Cool? Who knows! It makes choosing the correct jacket tricky, so ... 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.
  • LAST-MINUTE UPDATE: It's gonna be perfect weather this year; recommend no jacket and soak up the sunshine!

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).

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. the CVS Pharmacy has often okayed the use of their parking lot. (Wouldn't hurt to throw them a little business ...)

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. Back in Black
  2. Fireball
  3. I'm Shipping Up to Boston
  4. Venus

Hyack Festival - May 24-26, 2024

Trip Overview

Our first road trip of 2024 comes up sooner than you think! In May we'll be off to New Westminster, BC (suburb of Vancouver) for the Hyack Festival. The Festival has been a community event for over 50 years and they are delighted we're coming. We are already signed up for the 1.5 mile parade and a post-parade standstill.

This is a motor coach trip departing Fri May 24 and returning Sun May 26 (2 night stay). Our hotel is the lovely Element Hotel in Burnaby, BC. There's a group dinner at Trattoria Italian Kitchen on Fri evening (included); rest of day is free.

Saturday is parade day. After breakfast at the hotel (included), we leave at 9:15 am. Parade steps off at 11. We have a post-parade standstill in the park, then back to our hotel early afternoon. In mid-afternoon we've added a motor coach tour of Vancouver sights; afterward stay downtown for dinner if you like or ride back to the hotel and have dinner nearby.

Sunday is breakfast at the hotel (included) and departure for home at 9am. Should be back home around 5:45 pm.

As always, you can choose to make your own travel arrangements and join up with the band at performances.

Quick Links

Hotel

Click any photo for larger version

Our hotel is the Element Vancouver Metrotown, 4535 Kingsway, Burnaby, BC V5H 0E5, Canada (map). The sleeping rooms are all studios with either a King bed for 1 or 2 people or studio with 2-queen beds for 2 – 4 people. All rooms have refrigerators and kitchenettes in the room. Full fitness room, indoor pool, jacuzzi and sauna on the 5th floor. Breakfast is included, and Tom has ordered a different breakfast for each morning.

For additional cost, there are a limited number of larger 1-bedroom units with King bed along with a full kitchen, living room, and balcony for 1 or 2 people.

Room with 1 King Bed
Room with 2 Queen Beds
Another View of Queen Double

Bedroom with Full Kitchen & Balcony
Pool
View of the Studio Suite

Part of Breakfast Area

Hyack Tour Itinerary - May 24-26, 2024

Click any photo for larger version

24 May 2024

We depart from Lyft Fitness Gym in Gresham for Canada via motor coach at 7:45 am (see Departure Day Details for map and directions). After breakfast and lunch stops, we arrive at the Element Hotel in Burnaby, BC around 4:40 pm. Click here for detailed travel timing.

At 5:30 it's time to enjoy a group dinner at Trattoria Italian Kitchen (included) just beyond our hotel entrance.

The rest of the evening is free to enjoy the area. There are 3 shopping malls within 1 – 2 blocks of our hotel. Enjoy one of the 3 Tim Horton Donuts near and around the Metropolis Mall about 2 blocks away. Or jump on the SkyTrain (just a 3½ block walk from our hotel) and for the 15 minute ride into downtown Vancouver on your own.

Skytrain
Donuts!
25 May 2024

Parade day!!! Breakfast at our hotel on the 5th floor from 630 am – 900 am

The parade and festival take place in nearby New Westminster. We depart our hotel for the 18-minute drive at 915 am and arrive at the staging area near Moody Park at the intersection of 8th Avenue & 8th Street. The parade steps off at 1100 am with a simple parade route of just over 1½ miles ending at/near Queens Park where our motor coaches will be waiting for us. Final parade route TBA in early April by the Hyack Festival. TBGO will be towards the front of the parade -- yay!!!

Following the parade our coaches will take us a few short blocks to Tipperary Park. This is where the rest of the "Festival in the Park" takes place and is the location of our standstill. Standstill details still TBD.

We head back to our hotel in Burnaby after the standstill. But wait!!! There's more!!! We are now confirmed for a motorcoach sightseeing tour of Vancouver with a professional step-on guide for each motorcoach. This will be a (3) hour tour departing the hotel around 2:45 or 3:00 pm that takes in the City Center, Canada Place (cruise ship terminal), Gastown, Chinatown, Stanley Park, Prospect Point, Brockton Point Totem Poles, Granville Island Public Market, and finishes with a visit to Queen Elizabeth Park.

Those who would like to stay in the city and have dinner can come back to our hotel via SkyTrain or Uber/taxi, and those who prefer to come back to our hotel after completion of the tour can do so.

Vancouver Queen Elizabeth Park
TBGO @ Totem Poles Gastown
26 May 2024

Full breakfast at hotel.

Depart for home on our motor coaches at 9 am. We arrive at the border around 10am. Lunch is at the Alderwood Mall in Lynwood, WA (12:15 to 1:15 pm). There's a 45 minute rest stop in Napavine, and we arrive back in Gresham at 5:45 pm.

Travel Package Pricing

Travel Subsidies

It is in TBGO's best interests to field a large, balanced band at major events. The Board also believes that being able to participate in major events is an important positive part of the "TBGO experience". To enable us to field a large band and reduce the total cost of travel for band associates to more affordable levels, the band will partially subsidize travel costs via the band fund as subsequently detailed.

Early Booking Discount

An Early Booking Discount (EBD) of $150.00 is available to all TBGO band associates (musicians, auxiliary unit members, and support staff) who sign up for the Hyack trip by March 10, 2024. EBD of $75.00 is available for signups between March 11 and March 31. The EBD will be applied at the time of your final trip payment.

The Early Booking Discount is not available to friends and family traveling with the band.

Travel Assistance Program

TBGO is not offering Travel Assistance Program (TAP) awards for this trip. You can learn more about the Travel Assistance Program here.

Hyack Travel Package - Cost Per Person
Room Type Sign Up by March 10 Sign Up Mar 11 - Mar 31 Sign Up Apr 1 - Apr 13
Single $782.00 $857.00 $932.00
Double/Twin Share $533.00 $608.00 $683.00
Triple (3) People Sharing Room $451.00 $526.00 $601.00
Quad (4) People Sharing Room $411.00 $486.00 $561.00
Single - Special Room with Balcony $888.00 $963.00 $1038.00
Double - Special Room with Balcony $620.00 $695.00 $770.00
$200 Deposit Per Person Due at Signup; Balance Due April 16
Your TBGO travel package includes:
  • Round trip charter motor coach with driver tip driver hotel
  • Element Hotel by Westin 2-Nights with tax and cooked breakfast each morning
  • Italian dinner upon our arrival on May 24 at the Trattoria Italian Kitchen with tip/tax.

$200 non-refundable deposit per person due at signup.

Balance due by April 16.

Other Important Information

Passports

A VALID U.S. PASSPORT OR U.S. PASSPORT CARD is required for travel. You may NOT use a birth certificate, driver's license, or similar documentation -- a Passport or Passport Card is required. We strongly advise that your passport expiration date should be at least SIX MONTHS beyond the end date of the trip. If you do not hold a passport or your passport is not up to date, you should acquire one or renew it AS SOON AS POSSIBLE to avoid issues later on. See the TBGO Passport Information page for detailed information on applying for a first passport or renewing an expiring passport.

Remember to KEEP YOUR PASSPORT WITH YOU WHEN YOU BOARD THE MOTOR COACH -- DON'T PACK IT IN YOUR LUGGAGE!!!

IF YOU ARE USING A PASSPORT FROM A COUNTRY OTHER THAN THE U.S.A please let Tom know as soon as possible so he can provide you with correct information to enter Canada.

Deciding Whether to Book This Trip

It's important that you be in reasonably good health to handle the demands of this trip. We are marching a 1.5 mile parade and it will be difficult to reconnect with you if you drop out part way through the route. You must be able to get on/off motor coaches in reasonable fashion and there will be some walking. Those not in good health can cause delays and hold things up for the rest of the tour participants. Should you fall in this category you may need to strongly re-evaluate if a trip such as this is for you. Being aware of these expectations and your limitations, and then making thoughtful choices will ensure that we can provide a great experience for everyone.

Requesting Travel Modifications

The Hyack Travel Package is "all or nothing" and will not be altered except as described in Boarding Alternatives immediately below. As always, you are welcome to make your own travel arrangements and join the band at performances.

Boarding Alternatives: Those living North of Portland/Vancouver area may board at Napavine at Love's Travel Stop, but you will most likely need to have someone drop you off. If you live in the Greater Tacoma/Seattle area you can board at the Alderwood Mall, but you will need to sort out parking on your own or have someone drive you to the location as you cannot just park at a Mall without permission. See Departure Day Details below for arrival / departure times at these locations.

Pricing is the same for a pick-up at Napavine or the Alderwood Mall. No other deviations for this trip will be offered.

Travel Insurance

TBGO travel packages (like so many 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.

Travel insurance can help protect you if you must cancel or modify your trip due to illness, injury, or death to yourself or immediate family members. It may also help if you incur medical costs while away from home. (Note that standard Medicare does not cover you outside the USA, including traveling to Canada or Mexico or taking a cruise.) Click here for a more in-depth explanation of the benefits of travel insurance.

Your premium is based on your age (younger = lower premium) and cost of the trip (lower trip cost = lower premium). For example, for the typical Hyack travel costs of $533 - $782 at age 65, the premium is about $100. Insurance rates will be lower for those under 50 and higher for those above age 70 Tom will be happy to get you a customized quote for your situation.

IMPORTANT: To be sure you are fully covered, especially for pre-existing conditions, you must purchase your travel insurance within 21 days of your travel deposit (best to do it at the 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.

Signup (Including Self-Drive)

Use the link below to sign up for the Hyack trip. If you are making your own travel arrangements, there is an option in the sign-up for you (we appreciate knowing that you're coming). If you are purchasing the Hyack Travel Package, signing up commits you to making the trip. ALL PAYMENTS ARE NON-REFUNDABLE.

You will need to know the following:

  • Whether you wish to purchase the Hyack Travel Package or will make your own land arrangements.
  • Where you will board the motor coach.
  • If purchasing the Travel Package, you will select the type of room (Single, Single with Balcony, Double, Double with Balcony, Triple, Quad) and supply name(s) of roommate(s). If you choose a Double room and do not have a preferred roommate we will attempt to match you up. If you choose a Triple or Quad room, be sure you have a verified rooming list per TBGO guidelines.
  • Whether you want Trip Insurance.
  • Payment Information - Credit Card info if you wish to pay by credit card, or you can contact Tom directly.
  • Passport Information to create a passenger manifest. (If you do not yet have a Passport, you can give us this information later -- BUT GET GOING NOW!)

CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR THE
HYACK TRIP

ALL PAYMENTS ARE NON-REFUNDABLE

Trattoria Italian Kitchen Menu and Entree Selection

Here's the bill of fare for our Friday group dinner at Trattoria Italian Kitchen. A few notes:

  • All meals come with the Antipasti and Dolce, plus choice of Coffee, Tea or Soda.
  • If you'd like an alcoholic beverage with your meal, such as wine or beer, you can order it at the restaurant. Payment will be individually by cash or credit card to the wait staff.
  • Fior di latte is a type of mozzarella cheese that originated in Italy. "Fior di Latte" translates to "flower of milk" in English, indicating its fresh and milky flavour. The texture is soft and moist, and the cheese has a smooth, elastic consistency.
  • You have a choice of four entrees as shown. The Mushroom Arancini is a vegetarian option; the Pasta Primavera is a vegan option.

After you have signed up for the trip, please select your entree using the link below.

Trattoria Italian Kitchen Menu

ANTIPASTI

Caesar Salad
signature dressing, parmigiano-reggiano, herb croutons

PRINCIPALI

Spaghetti and Signature Meatballs
with herbed ricotta

or

Mushroom Arancini (vegetarian)
risotto ball stuffed with fior di latte
on basil tomato sauce

or

Chicken Parmesan
breaded, topped with tomato sauce & fior di latte
served with warm calabrese potato salad
red onion & chili, sauteed broccolini

or

Pasta Primavera (vegan)

tomato sauce & vegetables

DOLCE

Tiramisu
mascarpone mousse, espresso soaked ladyfingers, biscotti

Departure Day Details

Meet (Departure Day):   Arrive 7:00 - 7:15 AM at Lyft Fitness Gym (23500 SE Stark St, Gresham) (thanks Tom McCann!). Map and directions. Please PARK IN THE FAR SOUTH END of the parking lot. Restrooms are available after the gym opens at 7 AM. Motor coach arrives at 7:00 AM and we depart at 7:45 AM.

Boarding Alternatives: Those living North of Portland/Vancouver area may board at Napavine at Love's Travel Stop, but you will most likely need to have someone drop you off. If you live in the Greater Tacoma/Seattle area you can board at the Alderwood Mall, but you will need to sort out parking on your own or have someone drive you to the location as you cannot just park at a Mall without permission. See below for arrival / departure times at these locations. Pricing is the same for a pick-up at Napavine or the Alderwood Mall.

7:00 - 7:15 am Band arrives at Lyft Fitness Gym (see above for map and directions).
7:00 am Coaches arrive at Lyft Fitness Gym (see above for map and directions).
7:45 am Coaches depart for Canada.
9:20 am Arrive at Love's Travel Stop at Napavine, WA for rest stop / breakfast. This truck stop has plenty of restrooms! There is a Jack In the Box on premise that offers breakfast and more when we arrive, The store side offers many food options including breakfast sandwiches, breakfast burritos, cold sandwiches, fresh fruit in a cup, oatmeal, hard boiled eggs, cold cereal with mild, Danish rolls, cinnamon rolls, donuts, mixed nuts, yogurt and hot and cold drinks, most of which is self-serve.
10:10 am Depart rest stop.
12:20 pm Arrive at the Alderwood Mall at Lynnwood, WA for lunch.
1:20 pm Coaches depart Alderwood Mall.
3:05 pm Arrive at the USA/Canada Border Truck/Bus Crossing at Blaine, WA.
4:40 pm Arrive and check in at the Element Hotel at Burnaby, BC, Canada.
5:30 pm Group dinner at Trattoria Italian Kitchen (adjacent to our hotel; come downstairs and walk next door) .

Parade Day Details

Uniform:   TBD.

Meet (Parade Day):   If you are traveling with the group, be in the hotel lobby in uniform with your instrument no later than 9 am for a 9:15 departure. If you are making your own travel arrangements, meet the band in the staging area (see parade route map) at 9:45 am. More detailed location will be posted as we get it.

Parade Route: Parade steps off at 11 AM heading southeast on Sixth St, turns left on Queens Ave, left again on First St, then disbands at Queens Park. Parade route is about 1.5 mi long.

Parade Music:

  1. Back in Black
  2. Fireball
  3. Uptown Funk
  4. Venus
Show Music:

TBD

Long-Term Travel Plans

Major Road Trips

The Board talks with members informally to get travel ideas, and there's no shortage of fun things to do. We've built a long-term travel plan 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.

Regional Trips and Mini-Trips

Besides our annual "big road trip", we make a conscious effort to broaden our reach in regional events. This will certainly include day trips, but we'd also love to add one or two "mini-trips" 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 have lower cost. Examples of mini-trips that we've done include the Autumn Leaf Festival in Leavenworth (WA), Wenatchee Appleblossom Festival, Pendleton Round-Up, Medford Pear Blossom Festival, White Rock (BC) Sea Festival, and Rogers Santa Claus Parade (Vancouver, BC).

Active Travel Plan

In March 2023 the TBGO Board unveiled a new multi-year travel plan at a Zoom meeting, including both regional and major national/international trips through 2028. Here are several options for viewing the plan.

Click the cover slide at right for a video of the Zoom meeting presentation (runs 45:27).
Click the cover slide at right to download a self-running slide show with details of the plan and its trips. It may take a bit for the presentation to download since it's large (114 MB). Launch after it downloads and you can then advance through it using mouse, space bar, enter key, arrow keys, etc.
Click the cover slide at right for a PDF of the presentation. It loses the lovely animations and transitions, but you get all the text.
Click the grid at right for a one-page PDF summary of the plan.

 

Useful Contact Information

Tom Higham Contact Info

Many of you have worked with Tom Higham, who handles TBGO's overnight travel (and personal travel for many of us).

Mailing Address:

Tom Higham
dba Travel by Tom Higham
9580 SW 146th Terrace, Suite #1
Beaverton, OR 97007

www.travelbytomhigham.com

Cell:   (503) 484-8842
Fax:

(503) 336-0868

EMail:

tom-higham@comcast.net

travel@thebeatgoesonmb.org