Event Information for Band MembersClick the event name for information on staging time and location, uniform of the day, maps, etc.
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| Date | Event |
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| June 17-18, 2023 | |
| November 2023 | |
| Long-Term Travel Plans | |
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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.
Marysville Strawberry Festival - June 17-18, 2023
Join TBGO on its first road trip by rail!!!
June 17-18, 2023. Join us for a fun-filled trip to Marysville to be a part of the Marysville Strawberry Festival. A Marysville tradition since 1932, the Festival serves up a carnival, Market in the Park, Car Show, Musical Entertainment, and of course a Grand Parade. The parade takes place on Saturday June 17, stepping off at a new time of 5 pm. With a flotilla of more than 100 colorful floats, marching bands, bagpipers, drill teams, clowns, pirates and other entries, there will be plenty of merrymaking revelry. I hear there may be a few strawberries available too ... (grin!)
See below for itinerary details and signup survey.
Marysville Parade Logistics
Meet: If you're traveling via Amtrak or have made arrangements with Tom to travel on the band motor coach, the coaches will depart the Holiday Inn Express (8606 36th Avenue NE) at 3:00 PM. If you're arriving in Marysville on your own, meet in the staging area near 76 St. NE and State Ave at 3:30 PM.
Uniform: INFORMAL uniform: TBGO polo shirt, black shorts/belt, white socks, white shoes, TBGO cap. Because of the timing of the trip, you must wear your uniform on the train.
Parade Music:
- Dancing in the Street
- Fireball
- Uptown Funk
- Venus
Parade: Parade steps off at 5 pm and is mostly a straight shot down State Ave from NE 76th to NE 3rd (see map). Parade distance is 1.15 miles.
Trip Logistics
Amtrak Stations: All train travelers are being ticketed from Union Station in Portland. However, you may board at Vancouver Station if you prefer. If you plan to use Vancouver Station, please watch for an upcoming signup or email request since we want to know who to expect at each station. When you arrive at your station, please check in with Tom Higham (Union Station) or Scott Hurd (Vancouver Station).
Parking: Paid parking is available in a parking garage near Union Station; however, Tom does not recommend parking there because of area crime. Consider MAX light rail (though unfortunately Tri-Met Park 'n' Rides do not allow overnight parking), taxi, Uber, or having someone drop you off. 45 long-term parking spaces are available at Vancouver Station.
Here's another parking idea for the Marysville trip from Jan Clark (F Horn). Jan checked with Smart Park to see if overnight parking is permitted at the Smart Park garage at SW 10th & Yamhill. The answer is yes. If you enter the garage after 7am Saturday and leave before 5pm Sunday, the charge is $15. Our Amtrak return train is due home at 3pm, so there's some leeway. If you leave the garage after 5pm it's an additional $5. Jan plans to park in the garage, walk to the Pioneer Courthouse / SW 6th Avenue MAX stop, then take the Green or Orange line to the Union Station MAX stop.
Packing: Besides your musical instrument and parade music, bring a small bag (even a backpack may work) with a post-parade change of clothes and whatever you need for the trip home the following day. Our schedule is a little tight, so the less luggage we have to move, the easier things will be.
Timeline:
- Arrive at your Amtrak station AT LEAST ONE HOUR BEFORE DEPARTURE. Be sure to have your government-issued photo ID available to board the train. Check in with Tom (Union Station in Portland) or Scott Hurd (Vancouver Station) when you arrive.
- 8:20 AM: Train departs Union Station in Portland.
- 8:38 AM: Train departs Vancouver Station.
- Enjoy the ride north!
- 11:45 AM: Arrive at Seattle King Street Station.
- 12:10 PM: Depart Seattle King Street Station aboard our motor coaches.
- 12:55 PM: Arrive at Holiday Inn Express. (Note: We will not check into rooms at this time.) (Note: All travelers are staying together at this time; we will not go to Home2 Suites by Hilton until after dinner.) You will have about an hour to forage for lunch; nearby options include Haggen's Grocery with nice deli and sit down area inside, Chick-fil-A, Applebee's, Jersey Mike's, Dickey's Barbecue Pit, and Sunny Teriyaki (see map).
- 2:00 PM: Unload all luggage and anything else you don't need to march down the street into a holding area at Holiday Inn Express. This includes travelers staying at Home2 Suites.
- 3:00 PM: Depart Holiday Inn Express by motor coach and head to parade staging area.
- 3:30 PM: Arrive staging area.
- 5:00 PM: Strawberry Festival Parade steps off.
- Post-Parade: Group dinner (restaurant still TBD).
- Post-Dinner: Collect luggage from holding area, deliver everyone to their respective hotels, check in. (Whew!)
- Sunday AM: Breakfast at hotels.
- Sunday 8:30 AM: Motor coaches depart hotels.
- Sunday 8:45 AM: Motor coaches arrive at Everett Amtrak Station. Be sure to have your government-issued photo ID available to board the train.
- Sunday 9:57 AM: Train departs Everett Station.
- Sunday 2:29 PM: Arrive Vancouver Station.
- Sunday 2:55 PM: Arrive Union Station in Portland.
Marysville Tour Itinerary - June 17-18, 2023
Click any photo for larger version
For the first time, we'll be making a road trip by train! (We board Amtrak #500 on Saturday morning, departing at 8:20 am and arriving in Seattle at 11:45. (Just FYI, we are getting off in Seattle rather than Everett because the train that stops in Everett arrives too late for us to make the parade.) In Seattle we board our chartered motor coaches for the 40 minute transfer to Marysville. There's just time to grab lunch, drop our bags at our hotels, and then head for the parade staging area in mid-afternoon.
The parade steps off at 5 pm; I'm guessing we should finish up around 6:30 or 7:00. We're still scouting out a good spot to get together as a group for dinner after the parade. After dinner we can enjoy the fireworks and then return to our hotels.
Full hot breakfast at hotel (included).
On Sunday morning we reboard our motor coaches for the 10-minute ride to Everett (this time the timing works!). We board Amtrak #517, departing Everett at 11:30 am. We arrive back in Portland at 2:55 pm.
Everett Amtrak Station
| Sat Jun 17 | Portland - Seattle | Amtrak #500 | 820 am - 1145 am |
| Sun Jun 18 | Everett - Portland | Amtrak #517 | 957 am - 255 pm |
Ride in comfort, take in the scenery, and enjoy visiting with your band buddies! The Marysville Travel Package includes coach seating, but don't be fooled - coach on the train has lots of legroom and is more like business class in the air. But if you'd like to upgrade to Amtrak Business Class, it's available for an additional $71.
Some people have asked about boarding in Vancouver rather than in Portland. Because we are booking group tickets, my understanding is that all passengers will be ticketed from Portland. However, I believe Tom said it will be possible to board in Vancouver; check with him later for details.
We will be staying in two hotels on this trip (divided about equally) because there weren't enough rooms available to get us all in one place. Evidently, this is a popular event! FYI, we need to let Tom decide how to allocate rooms and people across hotels -- we can't accommodate requests for a specific hotel or ask to be at the same hotel as other specific people. Think of it as an opportunity to meet people and make new band friends! Besides, we won't be hanging out at the hotel much anyway.
Our first hotel is the Holiday Inn Express (8606 36th Avenue NE, Marysville, WA 98270; phone 360-530-1234). It has a heated indoor pool and whirlpool, fitness center, and complimentary coffee in the lobby. Full breakfast is included.
Our second hotel is the Home2 Suites by Hilton (4070 116th St NE, Marysville, Washington, 98271; phone 360-772-3600). It has a heated indoor pool and whirlpool, fitness center, and on-site restaurant. Full breakfast is included.
Holiday Inn Express
Home2 Suites by Hilton
It is in TBGO's best interests to field a large, balanced band at travel events. The Board also believes that being able to participate in travel events is an important positive part of the "TBGO experience". To enable us to field a large band, determine participation at an early date, and reduce the total cost of travel for band associates to more affordable levels, the Board is delighted to offer an Early Booking Discount of $75 to all TBGO Band Associates who reserve the Marysville Travel Package by end of day Friday March 24.
If you still have an unused $150 travel credit from the canceled 2019 Poulsbo trip, you may apply it to the cost of this trip.
Friends and family are welcome to join us on this trip but are not eligible for the EBD.
and Package Price
Single, Double, Triple, and Quad Rooms are available with the Marysville Travel Package. In accordance with TBGO Rooming Policy, Triples and Quads *MUST* supply a certified rooming list at signup. "Certified" means that all people involved already agree on the list; you don't get to just add names of random people! Doubles may supply the name of a preferred roommate at signup, but we will attempt to match you with a roommate if necessary.
| Room Type | Full Package Price | Package Price with EBD |
|---|---|---|
| Single | $383.00 | $308.00 |
| Double | $288.00 | $213.00 |
| Triple | $256.00 | $181.00 |
| Quad | $241.00 | $166.00 |
For Amtrak Business Class, add $71.00.
Marysville Travel Package includes:
- Round trip Amtrak Portland/Seattle, return Everett/Portland
- Marysville hotel at the Holiday Inn Express and Home2 Suites by Hilton with hot breakfast
- Transportation to/from Amtrak Stations to Marysville and locally in Marysville
Payment in full is due at time of signup.
ALL PAYMENTS ARE NON-REFUNDABLE
CLICK HERE FOR THE
MARYSVILLE SIGNUP SURVEY
Use this link to sign up for the trip, tell us you're making your own travel arrangements, or tell us you won't attend this event.
Australia / New Zealand November 2023
The successful Phoenix trip leads the Board to believe that the band may be ready to travel again. With that in mind, we are looking ahead to November 2023 and planning for the long-delayed trip to Australia with optional extension to New Zealand.
We are filling in trip details as we receive them. The Trip Details link below currently contains a good description of the structure of the trip; however, there are only a few cost numbers so far (more as I receive them). Pages linked to the two Detailed Itinerary links have not yet been updated for 2023.
One final reminder: When deciding whether to book this trip it's important that you be in reasonably good health to handle the demands of this trip. You must be able to get on/off the motor coaches in reasonable fashion and there will be some walking. Those not in good health can cause delays each day on the tour 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 as such is for you. Alternatively, you may need to bring along someone with you (family or caregiver) to insure you have someone who can assist you each and every day to avoid becoming a burden to other travelers. Getting through airports is yet another area to consider since it entails getting through security and walking long distances to immigration and flight gates. Being aware of these expectations and your limitations, and then making thoughtful choices will ensure that we can provide a great experience for everyone.2023 Trip Overview
The National Pharmacies Christmas Pageant is the largest single-day parade in the southern hemisphere, the second biggest in the world (behind the famous Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City), and the largest Christmas Parade in the world. It is officially recognised as a "heritage icon" by the National Trust of Australia and a "state institution" by the Government of South Australia. The pageant takes place in the Adelaide city centre, along a 3.35 km (2 mi) route.
In 1896, Mr Edward Waterfield Hayward established the Christmas fantasy world of the 'Magic Cave' to provide a joyful community Christmas experience. Thirty-seven years later during the Great Depression in 1933 the first Christmas Pageant was held to escort Father Christmas to the Magic Cave. 200,000 spectators came to watch that first Pageant, which featured eight floats and four bands and ran for around 40 minutes. The event now thrills over 320,000 excited parade-goers and a television audience with 1,700 volunteers, including some 63 floats, 15 bands, 164 clowns, dancing groups, and walking performers, all culminating in the arrival of Father Christmas.
As noted above, the parade takes place in Adelaide. In addition to Adelaide we will visit/sightsee in Melbourne and Sydney. See the 2020 Detailed Australia Itinerary for examples of possible attractions.
An option extension to New Zealand is available for those who want to explore a bit of that country. Sightseeing in New Zealand may include some or all of Christchurch, Queenstown, and the beautiful New Zealand countryside. See the 2020 Detailed New Zealand Itinerary for examples of possible attractions.
AUSTRALIA ITINERARY:
Dates: Depart U.S. November 1, 2023 to Australia, arriving Adelaide November 3 (International Dateline). Parade day is November 4. On November 6, fly to Melbourne for 2 night stay. On November 8 fly to Sydney for 3 night stay. On November 11 depart Australia for U.S., arriving same day (International Dateline).
IF YOU ELECT THE OPTIONAL NEW ZEALAND EXTENSION
Dates: Depart U.S. November 1, 2023 and follow AUSTRALIA ITINERARY. On November 11 fly to Queenstown, New Zealand for 8 night tour of New Zealand. On November 19 depart New Zealand for U.S., arriving same day (International Dateline).
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). |
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| 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. |
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| 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. |
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| Click the grid at right for a one-page PDF summary of the plan. |
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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 |
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| Cell: | (503) 484-8842 | |
| Fax: |
(503) 336-0868 |
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| EMail: |
