Welcome and thanks for attending the 2009 First Annual Tioga County Tournament of Bands! We’re glad you are joining us tonight and I intend to do whatever I can to make this event a positive one for you, your band, and our community. If at any point you have any questions, feel free to contact me in any of the listed communication methods! I’ll have a cell phone the day of the show. A few notes…

-Please check out the Google Map I’ve created. There you can see a satellite view of the park, where the rehearsal facilities and routes, parking information and etc. are all labeled.

-This event will be held rain or shine. If the weather is too bad to be outside, we’ll hold the event in the North Penn HS Auditorium – 300 Morris St., Blossburg, PA 16912. It’s a few blocks from the Island Park, where the stadium is. There is a large stage and pit area for you to use as you’d like.

-Critique will be held in a large conference room in the same building as the concession stand. A Director’s hospitality area will be just next to that building. That building will serve as the information center for the event. We will also have people to guide you upon entering the park, at the main ticket booth. We have “ordered” a percussion judge and an auxiliary judge, in addition to the usual panel. For those not familiar with TOB – critique is a time when band directors and staff can meet with the judges to discuss programs. It’s really a great opportunity and I highly recommend that you (and as many of the staff as you have available up to a maximum of 4, I think) take advantage of this opportunity and participate! If you have further questions about this, please contact me! The schedule is at the bottom of the performance schedule.

-Mansfield University’s Marching Band will be performing last, at 9:00pm, before awards. Dr. Brennan has requested that the performing bands come around to the front and stand on the track to watch M.U.’s band, so we’ll ask the band members to come around front via the loudspeaker. Students can stay up in the front for the awards (or you can take them wherever you’d like J )

-There is a convenience store (Acorn), A Pizzeria (Toader’s – it just opened), 2 small diners (the Brick and the Wishing Well) all within a few blocks of the park, but none of them are large establishments. We’re planning a good selection of food for students and spectators to purchase in the park as well.

-Power will be available on the front sideline if anyone needs it.

-Please print tickets as needed and sell them!

THANK YOU so much to all of you for coming and supporting this event! The community is excited about it, and we’re looking forward to giving them a good show. I also appreciate your patience with me as I’m figuring out how to do this!

Sincerely,

Jon Ruth, Southern Tioga Marching Band Director

300 Morris St., Blossburg, PA 16912

(570) 659-5199 – home                      (570) 404-0232 – cell

jruth@southerntioga.org                      http://www.stband.org