Strike up the band!
Pennsbury steps it up for its springtime tour of Hong Kong
 

With the final day of Pennsbury Marching Band Camp came a special awards presentation.
It was a routine awards presentation. The Dinkle Award went to the clarmet section. The section leader is Ananthi Rajamoorthi. The Greensfield Award was tied this year. Winners are: Cohn Davis, who plays the trumpet, and Tyler Mangiaracina, who is in the percussion section. The Greensfield Award is given to the most dedicated freshman. Davis is a ninth-grader. Mangiaracina, though a 10th-grader, is considered a freshman member of the band since this is his first year as a band member.
Members of the Pennsbury Marching Band Boosters were busily working under the home stands on August 24, the last day of band camp. As camp ended, the anticipation was strong about this spring’s upcoming trip to Hong Kong. Work has been underway to prepare for what is described as Pennsbury Marching Band’s most important trip ever.
Lower Makefield’s Karen Fox, Boosters treasurer, was one of the parents making preparations. “The Band Boosters are figuring today what are the logistics of sending our equipment, band front, honor guard uniforms, all instruments. It’s a sizable amount of material that needs to go with the band to Hong Kong.” Fox notes that both the Marching Band and the Concert Jazz Band will be heading to the Orient. “The opportunity is truly - exciting for our kids to go to Hong Kong and show the results of their hard work and talents,” she said.
Raising money to send the band to Hong Kong is a priority now. “We really want to get the help of the community and be excited with us. It’s an expensive
undertaking. We’re hoping people will be behind us,” Fox said.
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Music filled the air behind Falcon Stadium at Pennsbury High School as the Marching Band finished two weeks of band camp. The students have significantly stepped it up this summer to prepare for USSBA competitions, football games and their tour of Hong Kong.
At a recent band booster meeting, Deb Alleva, band booster president, remarked, “Each year we think the music and the field show can’t get any better than the prcviou year, and each year we are proven wrong.”
This year is no exception and the stakes are high. The marching band is the featured entertainment at Hong Kong Sevens, the ‘super bowl’ of professional rugby. They will be performing in front of 40,000 spectators at Hong Kong Stadium and it will be televised to over 50 million viewers in Asia, Europe, Australia and New Zealand.
This is the largest audience that the Pennsbury Long Orange Line Marching Band has performed in front of in the history of the band.
The band will also be the first marching band to march down Main Street in Hong Kong Disney, making the Long Orange Line the only band to perform in all five Disney theme parks in the world. Along with learniä&4he music and marcl, the badiiembers have been hard at work fundraising for their trip. The band boosters provided opportunities for the students to fundraise the entire trip since last spring when the trip was approved by the school board. “We want to make sure that every child who wants to go is able to go,” said Deb Alleva. “Hopefully the community will realize that this is a once in a lifetime experience and support our kids.”
Upcoming fundraising events include Community Pride Day on September 3 in Lower Makefield, a Walk-a-thon on September 8 and the Marching Band Festival to be held on
October 13 at Falcon Field.