UPDATE: The Woodlands High School Band gears up for new season without an observation tower

UPDATE as of 3 p.m. August 22: The Woodlands High School Band garage sale was a huge success and the new observation tower was installed on Wednesday, August 21.

ORIGINAL:

THE WOODLANDS, Texas -- Football season is back, and so is marching band. That’s right--Friday night lights and face-melting halftime shows are only weeks away. But The Woodlands High School Band needs money for a new observation tower. In order to clean out closets and raise sorely needed funds, The Woodlands High School Band Boosters invite you to their first annual garage sale this Saturday, August 17th.

Over 300 members of the marching band have been practicing since August 1st. Monday through Friday, these kids spend nine hours a day learning the basics and perfecting their fall competition show. It’s literally a full-time job.

Most of this time is spent on a parking lot that moonlights as an ersatz football field with spray painted sidelines and yard markers. Normally a band director supervises practice from atop a two-story observation tower, but The Woodlands’ tower of nearly two decades was recently condemned. A replacement is on its way, but it comes with a monumental price tag: $35,000.

Head Director Joni Perez explains that this cost includes “laying a concrete slab with specifications that meet district code, installing safety barriers around the tower slab, running electrical lines and wiring underground to give power to sound mixers, etc., constructing a staircase to move up and down the tower, the welding and construction of the tower itself, and transporting the structure as well as installing it (which requires a crane).”

This significant expense will hopefully prove a worthwhile investment in the program’s future; “the tower is built to withstand hurricane force winds and will last for many, many years,” says Perez.

Even with district funding, the band still needs to raise over $15,000 in order to pay for the much needed tower.

“With a band as large as ours, it is impossible to assess the musical and visual aspects of the marching band without a marching tower,” says Perez. “It helps with monitoring safety and discipline for a large group such as ours and also allows the teaching staff to see and hear the band from an audience and judge perspective.” Lack of a tower is a serious handicap for the band as it prepares to compete in the Bands of America Grand National Championships in Indianapolis this November. The band is two weeks into the marching season, and the tower is nothing more than a concrete slab.

This weekend’s garage sale is one of a series of fundraisers. The event will last from 8 a.m.-2 p.m. and will take place in the cafeteria of McCullough Junior High. Items for sale include furniture, appliances, clothing, game consoles, bikes, toys, sporting goods, kitchen items, and, of course, musical instruments.

Anyone interested in donating items to the garage sale should drop them off at The Woodlands High School’s parking lot from 8-9 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday (just look for the band) or the parking lot of McCullough Junior High on Friday from 5-8 p.m.

In addition, residents or businesses interested in donating directly to the tower fund are encouraged to email at the contact information provided below.

Remember to “Like” the band on Facebook in order to stay updated about future events and fundraisers.