The Yakima Sunfair Parade takes place on Saturday September 23 and we've DECIDED TO MAKE THE TRIP. As announced earlier, to keep this low cost we'll rent a couple of motor coaches and make this a quick day trip (no overnight stay). To make the cost even LOWER cost, the band fund will subsidize most of the cost of the motor coaches. Normal cost for this kind of coach trip would be $35-$40 a head; instead you get the low Low LOW price of only $10 per person.

The link below takes you to a SIGNUP to reserve your seat on the coach OR to tell us you'll attend but will drive yourself. You must use this survey to reserve your seat even if you answered "Yes" on the previous Interest survey. If you'd like to pay for the coach online, see the TBGO Payments page.

CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR THE YAKIMA SUNFAIR PARADE

Plan of the Day:   We meet at Lyft Fitness Gym (23500 SE Stark St, Gresham; map and directions) for an early morning departure. Drive 1 hr 10 min to The Dalles, where we a 45 minute bathroom / breakfast stop at McDonald's (1315 W 6th St). Nearby Starbucks is also open when we arrive, but other restaurants are not. Depart promptly at 7 am and arrive in downtown Yakima at 9 AM. There are restrooms near the check-in area and around the staging area. The 1.5 mile parade steps off at 10 AM; we are Unit #79 and should step off on the route around 10:40. Thrill the populace with our performance, then it's time to head for lunch at band-favorite Miner's Burgers right there in Yakima, serving up mammoth burgers, super-thick milkshakes, and all your other favorites for 75 years. We should arrive by 12:30 PM and spend a good hour having lunch. Belching gently, we reboard our coaches and depart for home at 1:45 PM. We make another 30 min rest stop in The Dalles around 3:30 PM. Depart by 4:00 PM to arrive back at Lyft Fitness by 5:15 PM.

Uniform:   CHANGED!!!
FORMAL uniform: TBGO polo shirt, TBGO hat, black LONG PANTS/belt, BLACK socks, BLACK shoes. Expected temperature at parade time is mid-60's and it'll be cooler still when we meet on the bus, so switching to long pants seems prudent.

Meet:   Arrive 4:15 - 4:30 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. FYI, restrooms will NOT be available since the gym doesn't open until 7 AM. Motor coach arrives at 4:30 AM and we depart at 5:00 AM.

CONSTRUCTION DETOUR:   There are road closures on I-84 this weekend that may impact your travel planning as you make your way to Lyft Gym or to Yakima.

Self-Drivers:   Park near the parade staging area at W Yakima Ave & 16th Ave (for reference, the parade registration desk is at 1514 W Yakima Ave). Plan to arrive by 8:45 AM and meet the band in the staging area when the coach arrives between 8:45 and 9 AM. After the parade, board the coach with the rest of the band and we will drop you back at the staging area on our way to Miner's Burgers.

Parade:   Parade steps off at 10 am It runs from W Yakima Ave & 16th Ave to E Yakima Ave & Naches Ave, approximately 1.5 mi long (see route map).

Parade Rules:   Parade rules include "No political statements or offensive wording attached to floats, horses, cars, marching bands, dance teams, etc. as this is a family friendly parade." Shouldn't be an issue for us, but figured I'd pass this along.

Parade Music:

1. Dancing in the Street
2. Fireball
3. Uptown Funk
4. Venus

CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR THE YAKIMA SUNFAIR PARADE

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 an ultra-busy summer schedule, roving rehearsal spaces, and all the time and energy you put into our State Fair residency.

This year we're meeting outdoors at Noon on Saturday October 14 at the Main Shelter in Tualatin Community Park. To make our "thank you" a bit more concrete, the Board has again booked Buster's Barbecue to cater our event and the band is picking up the tab for TBGO Band Associates.   Our 2-meat lunch is currently planned to include beef brisket and pulled pork.  Our vegetarian option is a veggie burger (if you prefer this option you'll choose it in the signup survey).  We're also getting baked beans, cole slaw, chips, garlic toast, soda, and bottled water.  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 ($21.95 per person + 18% gratuity = $25.90). 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 October 7 if you plan to attend.  We're being charged by the head, 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!

Signup Link:   Click here to sign up for the TBGO Birthday Party by October 7.

Uniform:   Come as you are!

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

Tualatin Community Park Area Map.

Tualatin Community Park Detail Map.

TBGO traditionally participates in Portland's Veterans Day Parade every year on November 11.  Unfortunately, this year the band associates that are going to Australia will still be out of the country on that date, so we planned to skip it this year.  However, a few people have suggested there may still be enough band associates in Portland with the right instrumentation who'd like to do the paraded. That's an interesting suggestion, so let's find out!

The survey is intended for band associates who are NOT traveling to Australia / New Zealand. If you are on the Australia trip, please do NOT answer this survey since you won't be home in time to do the Veterans Day Parade.

CLICK HERE TO TAKE THE VETERANS DAY INTEREST SURVEY

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.

The Trip Details link below now has complete info, INCLUDING details on how apply for an award through the Travel Assistance Program. Band associates who require a degree of financial assistance with the trip are urged to consider applying for a Travel Award. As we've said many times, it allows TBGO to field a better band and all of you helped earn the money in the band's travel fund. Travel with the band is an important part of the TBGO experience and THE TBGO BOARD STRONGLY ENCOURAGES BAND ASSOCIATES TO APPLY FOR A TRAVEL AWARD IF THEY ARE INTERESTED IN THE TRIP BUT NEED ADDITIONAL FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE.

See this link for details on applying for a Travel Award.

Important Dates
What	Date
Deadline for Australia + New Zealand signup (NZ group air contract expiring)	June 6, 2023
Deadline for Australia signup if you are requesting a TAP award	June 11, 2023
Deadline for Australia-only signup (Australia group air contract expiring)	June 12, 2023
Deadline to receive Early Booking Discount	June 12, 2023

• 2023 Trip Details - UPDATE NOW COMPLETE
• 2023 Detailed Australia Itinerary - UPDATE NOW COMPLETE
• 2023 Detailed New Zealand Itinerary - UPDATE NOW COMPLETE

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 2023 Detailed Australia Itinerary for 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 2023 Detailed New Zealand Itinerary for 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).
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.