Home sweet home

We have arrived back at Preble! Now time to unpack and get ready for the school week. Stay tuned this week for pictures and highlights from the trip! 

Photos from the Smithsonian

Saturday- Holocaust Museum, Smithsonian, cruise

It's our last day in DC- today we had the honor of touring the US Holocaust Museum- an amazing and moving place to absorb those events. A highlight was a book signing by a Holocaust survivor in the gift shop, many Preble students and chaperones recieved a signed copy of the book and a photo with the author. 

Then it was off to Union Station for lunch- a highlight was Kevin Cervantes with a giant box of chicken and biscuits which stunk up the bus! We moved on to the Smithsonian Museums where Preble kids had a chance to go off on their own- see amazing things like Lincoln's stovepipe hat, Dorothy's ruby slippers, Michele Obama's Inauguration Dress, the Hope Diamond, and the Air and Space Museum. It's been raining here all day and were all drenched and tired, but have seen very cool things today. 

Forgot to mention last night at the Dixie Classic Music Festival in Richmond, Ba- the Preble band received an "excellent" rating for their performance. Got some great comments from our adjudicator- and came home to a late night pizza party sponsored by our fabulous Preble Music Parents. 

Back to Saturday. We are currently on a DJ'd dinner/dance cruise on the Potomac River. At 10:00 we will board the buses and say goodbye to Washington D.C. It's been a great week- we're not quite looking forward to the 18 hour bus ride, but eager to see Green Bay. 

A highlight of the dance? The DJ played Gangnam Style, so of course our resident Sy- Kevin Cervantes- led us in a Preble Band encore performance. Then, Kevin's twin brother from another mother, (incidentally also named Kevin...) joined him! Very fun, and very hot on this boat. 

Arlington National Cemetary

Capitol Tour

Seniors at the Capitol

Day 2 - Lots of tours!

I'd just like to say that we had a phenomenal second day! This morning we were on the campus of George Mason University in Fairfax VA, a beautiful place. Our clinic with conductor/composer Mark Camphouse was awesome- Preble students surely are some of the best- very respectful and receptive to his comments and suggestions. We played very well after brushing the cobwebs off the horns and our chops! Then on to the Capitol- where we saw the Senate side of the building and the Rotunda. But a highlight for me was seeing the monuments at night and especially the Korean War Memorial- my great uncle was a tail gunner in the Air Force during that conflict and was highly decorated for his service- including the Purple Heart. Overwhelming and very poignant to see all of the thousands of lives that were lost in service to our country and are now immortalized at the great memorials in Washington. 

Tomorrow we will face rain, but will have a great day with two performances and a couple of hours at Arlington National Cemetery. We're tired, but having a great time!

Day 2 Part 2

Shortly after our clinic, we arrived at the U.S. Capitol and toured the building. We then went to Ford's Theatre and listened to a park ranger tell the historic story of the Lincoln assassination. Then we went to the Ronald Reagan building to eat dinner. Later on we went on a haunted tour of the city and were able to see the White House. Next we went on our monument tour at night. It was dark and cold, but all of the monuments were lit up and it was amazing. We saw the Lincoln Memorial, Vietnam War Memorial, and the Korean War Memorial. A jammed-packed second day in our nation's capital! More pictures and updates soon to come.

Day 2 Part 1

After getting a wake up call at 6:10 this morning, we ate a very nice breakfast and then prepared to go to our clinic at George Mason University. Our clinician was professor Mark Camphouse and he was very nice and had a lot of good advice for us. We just finished our boxed lunches on the bus, and we are on our way to get a tour of the Capital.

Wednesday's Highlight: WWII Memorial

On our first tour on the trip, our tour guide (Mr. Russ Preble) brought us through the World War II Memorial. This memorial honors the 16 million that served, 400,000 that died, and millions that supported the war effort from home. At the end, he showed a replica of the victory medal.

Day 1 in D.C.

Once we arrived in Washington, D.C., we went to the Smithsonian Castle for about 45 minutes. Then we went on our first tour of the monuments. We just arrived at Hard Rock Cafe for dinner. After dinner, we will be arriving at our hotel and will have a little bit of free time. :)

We Have Arrived!

We have arrived in Washington, D.C!

Breakfast Break

Stopped at Eat N' Park in Somerset, Pennsylvania

Bus Update

After about 3 and a half hours, our bus is at least running once again. We are only 5 and a half hours away. Thankfully the bus is finally starting to warm up a little bit. We are two hours away from picking up our next driver after we start driving. After we pick up our next driver, we will be stopping for a quick breakfast and will continue our adventure. Unfortunately, we will not be able to make it to the Spy Museum,  but we still hope to be able to go to Arlington, Iwo Jima, the Smithsonian, and dinner at Hard Rock Cafe. On ward to DC :)

Uh-oh...

Once upon a midnight dreary, while we traveled weak and weary, our broken bus with all of us was pulled over to the side of the road. We are currently experiencing some technical difficulties on one of the buses. We are in Ohio and our bus has overheated. The tow truck and the police just showed up to help us out. Hopefully we will be able to start driving again soon.

Bedtime on the Bus!

After eating a "Hardee" dinner, we are on the road again. We will be driving for 5 more hours and then the bus will need to refuel again. We are all settled in for tonight and are watching movies on the buses. We will try to keep you updated tomorrow throughout our first day of touring in Washington, D.C.

On Our Way!

Everything is packed, everyone is jacked. DC here we come! 

One Day More!

This is it! The Green Bay Preble Bands are one day away from our Washington DC Tour! Instruments are cleaned and polished, suitcases are packed, snacks are bought, rehearsals have ended, and the excitement is high for everyone going on the trip. We are looking forward to sharing our journey with you! Stay tuned for updates!