Skillet Show

The last weekend in October we saw Skillet in concert. In three days we had Anna’s Take Flight performance, the Skillet concert, & James’s state band competition in Pueblo. And of course, we had this concert on the calendar long before we knew the dates for the kids’ performances. Sometimes everything happens at once.

We were grateful for the band & Jen’s generosity in getting us tickets when they were in town. Once again, it was a great show! 

Marching Season Comes to a Close

Marching season concluded at the very end of October & what a run it was! Since the summer, James has spent many hours on the field preparing, practicing, moving equipment, performing & competing. He thoroughly enjoyed the season but it was work! Kenny even volunteered quite a bit at football games & competitions helping move percussion equipment on & off the field & load trucks. Many parent helpers were needed to make their show a success. 

We enjoyed a handful of Friday night football games watching the band perform. 

The band competed in several competitions around the area & in the end preserved their state championship for their division! We pulled Anna out of school & all attended the state competition in Pueblo. Was very exciting to be there for their win. 

Here’s a snapshot of what a marching competition looks like…

Moving to the front & backfield…The majority of the band has to enter from the rear of the field, while the front ensemble (pit) enters from the front. 

Waiting for the signal to enter the field.

Moving into position…Each band has exactly 15 minutes from the time they enter to the time they exit, which includes their eight-minute show. Every second counts which is why they use many parents to help get set up quickly. 

And they’re off!

Here is the video of their show if you’re interested in watching. (James stands to the right of the chimes, playing bells & chimes.) The title of the show was Wonderland; an Alice in Wonderland theme. Alice is in a white & blue dress; moving between the real & imaginary world. Crank up your volume to hear the spoken words throughout. Enjoy!

Following each band’s performance, they entered the photo-taking area. A photographer took shots of each band plus each member, which resulted in this fun keepsake.

Next, the band & parent helpers moved to the trucks, where the students removed their uniforms, put them into garment bags & loaded them onto clothing racks to be loaded. Kenny, other parents & students worked to load all of the percussion equipment.

Next, the entire group – band members, directors, parent helpers & their families – all went through a massive food line for dinner. There’s an army of parents that provide home-cooked meals for the group every time they’re traveling away for competitions. One family brings their fifth wheel so they have power to plug in all of the crockpots. On this day they served loaded baked potatoes with every topping you can think of, raw veggies, guacamole, chips, cookies, hot chocolate with whipped cream & sprinkles, & seconds & thirds for anyone who wanted them. The entire operation is just amazing & we’re so thankful. Every band family pays a fee at the beginning of the season to help cover food costs & the result is quality food for our kids versus taking the entire group out for fast food. 

Following dinner, everyone moved back to the stands to watch the remainder of the competition & await the results. It was a late night but so worth it for the experience & the win!

James, we’re so proud of you & all of your hard work! We thoroughly enjoyed watching your band perform all of these months & look forward to next year!

Take Flight

Anna was in rehearsals all of September & October for Take Flight & Nutcracker simultaneously. Take Flight performed at the end of October & was a beautiful show of excerpts from Swan Lake. Since the summer, Anna has been working on getting used to contacts so she can go without glasses on stage & she did it! We have so enjoyed watching Anna’s progress as a dancer. She is beautiful on stage & has the biggest smile!

Anna saved up her money for a new ballet skirt.