Marching Warriors raffle car for uniforms
Published 9:21 pm Tuesday, August 11, 2015
If you’re in the market for a new-to-you car, you won’t get a better deal than the 2013 Hyundai Elantra up for raffle by the Nansemond River High School marching band.
Not only can you get a great used car with low mileage but also you will be supporting the band’s efforts to get new uniforms for its biggest stage yet — the Macy’s Holiday Parade in Orlando, Fla.
The parade is essentially the same as the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York, band director Edward Woodis said. Many of the same floats and balloons are used.
He’s been trying to get his band into the Thanksgiving parade since 2002, he said, but they usually like to see bigger bands in that parade. At 78 members, the Marching Warriors are a small group as far as marching bands go.
But after doing the Philadelphia Thanksgiving Day Parade twice, the band finally got accepted to a Macy’s parade — and it will likely be warmer than the New York version, anyway.
The school system purchased new band uniforms this year, but the band still needs to come up with about $12,000 for uniforms for the majorettes, dancers and flags. They must be ordered by the middle of September.
Raffle tickets for the car are $20 each and can be purchased from any band member, at the school’s front office or at home football games before the drawing, which will be held at the school’s annual Band Day on Oct. 3.
The students also will hold their annual fruit sale the first week in September.
“The fresh Florida citrus fruit will get us down to Florida,” said Woodis, who is beginning his 15th year of teaching at the school in the school’s 25th anniversary year.
The car raffle is sponsored by the One Sisters Organization, which aims to support the band in any way possible, member Reese Nixon said.
The winner of the car is responsible for taxes and other costs.