Cadets Selected For Presidential Inaugural Parade
The Cadets will launch their 75th Anniversary season with one of the highest honors bestowed upon a marching organization with the recent notification they were selected to perform in the 56th Presidential Inaugural Parade on Jan. 20th in Washington, D.C.
The corps’ administration was notified Friday about the exciting news that it was chosen among more than 1,380 applicants to participate in the festivities surrounding the Inauguration of President Elect Barack Obama. The parade, along Pennsylvania and Constitution avenues, follows the new president’s Swearing-In Ceremony on Capitol Hill and Inaugural Luncheon. It usually features about 12,000 marchers and draws crowds estimated in the tens of thousands.
“To be selected to participate in an event of this caliber is truly an honor,” said Cadets Director George Hopkins. “This corps has been a part of many prestigious and memorable events, and the Inaugural Parade is another once-in-a-lifetime experience for the organization and its members. Jan. 20th will be a milestone for our Nation and the Cadets will play a part in this historic day!”
The Cadets are one of three Pennsylvania-based groups to be performing in the parade, joining the North Allegheny High School Tiger Marching Band and Boy Scout Troup 358 in representing the state. They are also no stranger to performing under the National and World spotlight. The Drum Corps International nine-time World Champion and 20-time National Champion have performed in the following events:
* The 1996 Olympic Games Closing Ceremonies in Atlanta, Ga.
* The rededication of the Statue of Liberty in 1986
* Major League Baseball’s All-Star Game in 1996
* The 1994 World Cup Soccer Game
* Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade in 2005
* An appearance on The David Letterman Show
The news comes to the corps just one week prior to their second rehearsal camp for 2009, and now has staff moving quickly to finalize details on uniform fittings, rehearsals, housing, transportation, and other logistics and expenses related to the trip to Washington, D.C. With those details comes the challenge of funding the corps’ trip to the Nation’s Capitol that carries a price tag of nearly $20,000 between food, travel, housing and even uniform alterations.
If you would like to make a donation to the Cadets 2009 Inaugural Parade Fund, you can do so by CLICKING HERE to make your contribution to this experience and allow the Maroon and Gold to be witness to history! More information will be forthcoming on the Inaugural Parade Fund in the coming days, but if you would like to be one of the first to help Holy Name reach Washington DC, we encourage you to do it right now!
Proposed schedule details:
The Cadets gather Dec. 12-14 at Woodstown High School in Woodstown, N.J., where many logistical details will be presented to returning and auditioning members. Hopkins met with Assistant Director Justin Heimbecker Sunday evening to outline guidelines for member participation and a preliminary schedule for the parade trip, which includes moving the previously scheduled January camp back one weekend.
Specifically:
* The Jan. 9-11th camp has been cancelled and rescheduled to Jan. 16-18th in the Philadelphia, Pa., area. Location to be determined.
* The camp schedule will remain as announced, from Friday evening to Sunday afternoon
* Those members participating in the Inaugural Parade will remain with the corps through Wednesday, Jan. 21st
* Colorguard members and recent alumni participating in the Inaugural Parade will be required to report to the Cadets on Sunday, Jan. 18th in the Philadelphia, Pa., area.
* Rehearsals for the Parade will be held from Sunday, Jan. 18th until departure for Washington, D.C., on Monday evening. Times and location to be determined.
* Following their performance in the Inaugural Parade, the Cadets will return to the Philadelphia, Pa., region to sleep.
* Drop off to Philadelphia International Airport for member departure will be at 5 a.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 22nd.
A Call Out to Alumni
Given that the Inaugural Parade falls before Move-In on May 15th, the Cadets seek recently aged-out alumni to fill the full 150-member corps, including the colorguard which normally would not return to the corps until April.
Recent alumni interested in participating in the Inaugural Parade should contact Heimbecker at Justin [at] yea [dot] org. More details on fees, schedules and the application process will be released in the coming days, according to Heimbecker. Stay close to http://www.cadets.org/ for information.
“Current Cadets will have the first priority to take part in this event,” said Heimbecker. “After which we will look to our recent alumni to fill out the roster. We expect to have this process completed by early next week.”
Auditions for the brass and percussion sections for 2009 continue at the Dec. 12-14 camp. Those who audition will also be considered to participate in the Inaugural Parade, Heimbecker said. Video auditions for colorguard continue through the month of December.
A season to remember!
The Inaugural Parade in January sets the stage for an amazing year to come for the 2009 Cadets. Alumni, supporters, family and friends of the corps are already readying themselves for a memorable journey in 2009 one that takes them back to those remarkable days on the field, yet sets a course for future Cadets who also share the dream.
The corps 75th Anniversary Season begins in January with the 56th Annual Inaugural Day Parade, and runs through August 2009 with the Cadets performing in the Drum Corps International World Championships in Indianapolis, Ind.
