Community Can Help Tarpon Marching Band Get to Macy's Parade

The students in the Tarpon Springs High School marching band have a chance to play in the nationally televised Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade Nov. 28.

Their supporters are turning to the community to help pay for the students' trip to New York City for the parade.

The marching band was invited last year to participate in the 2013 Macy’s parade, and the band booster club is now in the midst of an aggressive fundraising campaign to bankroll expenses.

And, it has a couple opportunities coming up for folks to help make the trip a special one for all 186 students in the band, in addition to giving directly to the group through its website.

“We’re a big family, and we don’t leave family members behind,” said Stefanie Markham, co-president of the of the booster club supporting the marching band.   

Proceeds from the entry fee for the Bands on the Bayou concert in Craig Park in Tarpon on Sunday, Sept. 1, will go toward covering the expenses of the band members' trip to New York. There is also a golf tournament Sept. 14 at Crescent Oaks that will raise money for the venture.

Tarpon High’s Leadership for the Arts Conservatory magnet program pulls in band members from throughout the county, including Dunedin and Clearwater.  The band, officially called the Tarpon Springs High School Outdoor Performance Ensemble, includes some students from low-income families who normally wouldn’t be able to afford a trip like the one to New York, Markham said.

It costs about $1,550 to pay for each student’s trip, Markham said. That cost pays for their airfare, lodging, food and sightseeing during a multi-day trip to New York, Markham says.

Markham estimated it would cost close to $400,000 to bring the band to New York. So far, the band’s supporters have raised about $200,000, she said.  She expects to be continuing to try and raise money down to wire before the trip begins.

“We have a lot of work to do,” she said.

Want to help the band get to the parade? You can donate at marchtomacys.squarespace.com.  

The Bands on the Bayou Concert benefitting the band goes from noon to 8 p.m. Sunday Sept. 1 at Craig Park on Library Lane in Tarpon. Tickets cost $8 on Ticketmaster and $12 the day of the event.

For information on registering for the Sept. 14 golf tournament can e-mail Markham at smarkham@tarponspringsband.com.