Plan of the Day:   It's time to celebrate another year of The Beat Going On!    Thank you to everyone for hanging in there with a busy summer schedule and all the time and energy you put into our State Fair residency.

This year we're meeting outdoors at Noon on Sunday October 4 at the Main Shelter in Tualatin Community Park. To make our "thank you" a bit more concrete we'll cater lunch for all Band Associates -- Buster's Barbecue for carnivores and Elephants Deli for non-carnivores as in prior years.

Meet:   At 12:00 pm (Noon) at the Main Shelter in Tualatin Community Park (8515 SW Tualatin Rd), (Map and directions)

Uniform:   Come as you are!

Carnivores

Our Buster's BBQ 2-Meat Lunch includes beef brisket and pulled pork along with BBQ baked beans, cole slaw, chips, and garlic toast.

Non-Carnivores

Non-carnivores will choose one of these yummy sandwiches from Elephants Deli catering (DF=Dairy-Free, VE=Vegetarian, VG=Vegan, WF=Wheat-Free). A wheat-free bun is available for those who prefer it. IMPORTANT: We will only order the number of Elephants sandwiches requested, so if you want one be sure to order it via the survey!

• Caprese - Roma tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, basil, and basil oil on ciabatta (VE)
• Albacore Tuna Salad with mayo, tomato, pickle, and leaf lettuce on multigrain (DF)
• Egg Salad with mayo, mustard, and scallions on multigrain (DF, VE)
• Buffalo Cauliflower & Chickpea Wrap with red cabbage, kale, red onion, and Mama Lil's peppers in a flour tortilla (VG)[Note: Wheat-free bun not available with this wrap.]

In addition to your sandwich, we'll order a few large salads for the non-carnivore group to share. We are currently planning to order these salads (DF=Dairy Free, VG=Vegan, VE=Vegetarian, WF=Wheat-Free):

• Fresh Fruit Salad - a mix of honeydew, cantaloupe, pineapple, grapes, and blueberries (DF, WF, VG)
• Caprese Pasta Salad - Ditalini pasta tossed with fresh mozzarella, tomatoes, and basil (VE)
• Willamette Valley Salad - Mixed greens, romaine, hazelnuts, blue cheese, apples, grapes, and raspberry vinaigrette (VE)

Everyone

Soda and bottled water will be provided. Please do not bring alcohol (our park reservation does not permit it).  If some of you would like to bring a potluck dessert, that'd be great. 

All TBGO Band Associates (instruments, auxiliary units, and support staff) are invited to come and chow down at no cost!  Family and friends are welcome to join us by reserving a lunch for the same price the band is paying ($22.95 per person + 18% gratuity = $27.00). Payment options for guest reservations can be found on the website under Members / Payments.

We have to provide an attendee count in advance, so sign up via the Signup Link below by September 27 if you plan to attend.  We're paying for each person who is coming, so if you sign up to come please try to attend so that we're not paying for extra food that we don't need.

 Besides the food there are bound to be a few fun surprises.  Hope you can make it!

Tualatin Community Park Area Map.

Tualatin Community Park Detail Map.

Event Summary

TBGO is headed to Auburn, Washington for the 61st annual Veterans Day Parade. The parade steps off at 11 am on Saturday November 7 with over 150 units including over 15 bands. It's a one-night trip for us, departing Gresham on Friday November 6 and returning home the following day after the parade.

As an added bonus, our Friday lunch stop in Tacoma includes a ticket to your choice of two museums to visit:

• Museum of Glass - A premier contemporary art museum dedicated to glass and glassmaking in the West Coast’s largest and most active museum glass studio. The Museum has a reputation for hosting impactful and engaging artist residencies, organizing and exhibiting nationally traveling exhibitions, and creating unique programs for visitors, all while building a growing permanent collection chronicling the development of the glass art form.
• LeMay - America's Car Museum - Harold and Nancy LeMay amassed the largest privately owned collection of automobiles, other vehicles and related memorabilia in the world. At its peak, the LeMay Collection numbered in excess of 3,000 vehicles and thousands of artifacts. The Collection is broadly American and spans the 20th Century powerfully demonstrating both the dominance of the American auto industry in that time period as well as the American experience with the automobile.

NOTE: You need to choose which museum ticket you want when you sign up for the trip.

 

Parade Day Logistics

Meet:   Motor coach departs the hotel at 930 am. Self-drivers meet in staging area at 1000 am (more info as we get it). Parade is about 0.5 miles long.

Uniform:   DRESS uniform: TBGO polo shirt, TBGO hat, black PANTS/belt, BLACK socks, BLACK shoes. Add an optional black turtleneck or similar beneath the shirt for additional warmth. JACKETS: We will make a decision on jackets as we get closer to the event.

Parade Music:  

1. National Anthem March
2. Tribute to America
3. Fireball
4. Veterans Salute

Parade Day Parking:   Self-drivers, see the Auburn Parade Route map below for suggestions about parking on parade day.

Hotel

Our home-away-from-home for this trip is the Best Western Plus Mountain View Auburn Inn (401 8th Street SW, Auburn, WA 98001). Build-your-own breakfast burritos, rice bowls, and gluten-free options lead the full hot breakfast (included with your stay), and guest rooms add free Wi-Fi, a flat-screen TV, microwave, refrigerator, and coffee maker. On clear days, Mount Rainier crowns the horizon. Other amenities include an indoor heated pool, a spa, a fitness center, and guest laundry.

Trip Itinerary
Date	What's Up?
Friday November 6, 2026	MEET OUR MOTORCOACHES: at 715 am in the rear parking lot of Lyft Fitness Gym (23500 SE Stark St, Gresham) (map and directions). To reach the parking lot, turn down NE Cleveland Avenue and take the SECOND driveway entrance. Lyft Fitness management has asked that we park in the extreme SOUTH end of the parking lot away from the entrance to the building. HEADS-UP TO THOSE NEW TO THE BAND: Please be sure to understand well ahead of time how long it takes to get to Lyft Fitness from your home with morning commute traffic so you don’t miss the coach. Our coach DEPARTS ON TIME at 745 am (earlier if everyone is on board) and yes, we have left people behind. If you arrive after 745 am, continue driving to Napavine and meet the coach at our rest top at Love’s Truck Stop. Arrive at Love’s Truck Stop in Napavine at 930 am for our rest stop/coffee stop. Coach departs Napavine at 1015 am. We arrive in Tacoma at the Museum of Glass around 1130 am and drop off those who chose this museum. We then make the short drive to Lemay-America’s Car Museum, arriving around 1145 am. Each museum has its own café for lunch or take in lunch places that are nearby each museum on your own. Departure from Lemay-America’s Car Museum at 215 pm and at 230 pm from the Museum of Glass. We then head to Auburn, WA, arriving at our hotel near 300 pm. Best Western Plus Mountain View Auburn Inn – 1 Night with hot breakfast 401 8th Street SW Auburn, WA 98001 Phone (253) 887-7600 Dinner on your own. Since the hotel is a couple mile walk from downtown, the motor coach will leave the hotel at 600 pm for those who want to try the downtown restaurants. The coach will depart downtown to return to the hotel at 745 pm. Downtown restaurants include Oddfellas Pub & Eatery, Serious Soul At Cubby’s (soul food), Manraj’s Kitchen (Indian cuisine), Cow & Cod (fish & steak) Subway, Panera Bread, Rail Hop’n Brewing, Haru Haru Sushi & Teriyaki, Hawkers Bar & Grill, Joysticks, Koong Thong Thai Cuisine. Near the hotel are Marvel Food & Deli (European) and Dubai Shawarma. As we get closer to mid-October Tom will try to learn what is happening on the evening of Nov 6 at the large Muckleshoot Casino across town. Generally there will be a band for dancing and or other musical entertainment. If so, he will get the motorcoach for those on the hotel/coach package to take us to the casino for the evening.
Saturday November 7, 2026	PARADE DAY!!! Breakfast at our hotel. Coach departs at 930 am for the staging area. Parade steps off at 1100 am and is about 0.5 mile long. We depart for home post-parade by motorcoach, arriving by 105 pm at our lunch stop at the South Hill Mall in Puyallup just south of Auburn. Many choices here as for starters you have the Food Court. Other choices would be Olive Garden, BJ’s Restaurant and Brewhouse (one of Tom's favorites), Hops n Drops, Golden Corral (lunch buffet), Red Robin, Applebee’s just to name a few. We depart our lunch stop at 230 pm. Arrive at Love’s Truck Stop at Napavine at 350 pm for our rest stop. Depart Love's at 430 pm to arrive at Lyft Fitness in Gresham at 600 pm.

Lyft Fitness Gym Gresham.

Auburn Parade Route

Pricing

Since we have reserved only one motor coach and it is likely to be full or nearly full, we cannot offer a Self-Drive Package (hotel and parade transportation only) for this trip. Self-drivers are very welcome, but you'll have to make your own hotel and parade-day transportation arrangements.

Full Package includes:

• Round trip chartered motor coach transportation from Gresham to Auburn, WA with driver gratuity.
• Best Western Plus Mountain View Auburn Inn – 1 Night with breakfast.
• All ground transfers round trip.
• Your choice of ticket to Lemay-America’s Auto Museum or Museum of Glass in Tacoma with lunch on your own.

Early Booking Discount

The TBGO Board has approved an Early Booking Discount (EBD) of $50.00, available to all TBGO band associates (musicians, auxiliary unit members, and support staff) who have performed regularly with the band and purchase the Auburn travel package by September 27, 2026. 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.

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. Your premium is based on your age (younger = lower premium) and cost of the trip (lower trip cost = lower premium). Tom will be happy to get you a customized quote for your situation.

You will be offered an opportunity to purchase travel insurance when filling out the Survey Monkey sign-up for the trip.

SIGNUP SURVEY

Use the survey link below to sign up for the Auburn trip. The survey can be used to do any of the following:

• purchase the Full Package;
• let us know you'll be attending but will make all your own travel arrangements;
• let us know you won't be attending this event.

Please read if you have a comcast.net email address

I continue to have issues sending TBGO email to Comcast email users. Delivery may be delayed or refused, and I cannot predict what will work and what won't. Evidently, Comcast is convinced that TBGO email is spam.

If you haven't been receiving email from me, I have a couple of suggestions:

• Complain to Comcast. I can't find a way to do this, but you may have better luck as a customer.
• I recommend that you obtain a free gmail account and set it to forward mail automatically to your Comcast email. Then let me know your new gmail account and I'll add it to the outgoing email lists. Evidence so far suggests this works okay.

Recruiting fliers:   The Recruiting Committee has created two new page-size PDFs for you to use to help build the band. One is a "general" flier, the other uses the 2026 Liverpool trip as a recruiting incentive. Feel free to print and hand out to friends, post on bulletin boards, etc.

In addition to the page-size PDFs, there are two smaller (1080x1080) images: a GIF and a PNG. The PNG is static, the GIF animates the band's URL. Both are a nice size for posting to your social media accounts.

Click the images below to open the fliers. You can also right-click the images and choose Save Link As to download to your device.

PDF - general full page	PDF - Liverpool full page	GIF - small	PNG - small

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 September 2026 the TBGO Board shared a new multi-year travel plan, including both regional and major national/international trips through 2031. Here are several options for viewing the plan.

Click the grid at right for a one-page PDF summary of the plan.
Click the page image at right for brief summaries of the events on the travel plan.