Not everyone will be glued to the television Sunday afternoon, cheering for the B.C. Lions as they go after the Grey Cup.
Dedicated music students from Springwood Middle School will be serving high tea at Sunrise Ridge Resort in Parksville.
The Springwood Middle School band is raising money to attend MusicFest Nationals in Ottawa in May, 2012. The SMS Band, under the guidance and direction of Dr. Donna Rathke, earned a gold standing at MusicFest Nationals in Richmond in May 2011. The ranking earned them an invitation to the nations capital and in order to make the trip come to fruition, the band students need to raise approximately $50,000 to fund the travel costs.
The event, in the lobby at Sunrise Ridge, will include an art auction and sale.
After some generous donations by the public, over 150 pieces of art, and vintage clothing has been collected and will be up for sale or auctioned off on Sunday.
Open art sales will continue throughout the day and tea, coffee and pastries will be sold at High Tea between 2 and 4 p.m. with band students serving. The highlight of the event will be the auction from 4 to 5 p.m. with Parksville Mayor Chris Burger performing the auctioneering duties. All proceeds will go to the students from the SMS Concert Band who have participated in the event.
The SMS band trip got a financial boost recently from the Coombs Old Time Fiddlers. The group hosted their annual Jamboree on September 17 at the Coombs Rodeo Grounds and some of the proceeds of that event was donated to the MusicFest trip.
Springwood Middle School band teacher Dr. Donna Rathke said the cheque for $500 from the fiddling group was generous.
She said when her students won the gold medal standing at MusicFest Nationals in Richmond last May it was a proud moment for her.
She admitted she picked a hard piece for them to play and they came through.
“It is very significant. It was a hard piece and they played it beautifully,” she stated.
She said it isn’t too often grade seven and eight band students get to travel on such a major trip and this is a rare opportunity for the students to not only perform but take in some cultural experiences as well.
If you would like to help out the SMS Band students, check out their art sale on Sunday, Nov. 27 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Sunrise Ridge.