Pennsylvania Lions All-State Band
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Lions Do Las Vegas!

6/30/2018

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Our first full day in Las Vegas was a busy one, full of great food, sites to see, and music to play. We started the day with a visit to Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum. Many of our students did not quite understand what this was ahead of time, but they had a blast once they were inside, posing with celebrities of all sorts. Check out the slide show for a selection of our best pictures - you can see them all on our Flickr group: ​https://www.flickr.com/groups/palionsbandlasvegas/
Following our encounter with greatness, we headed to the Las Vegas monorail to make our way to the MGM Grand, which is the host hotel of the convention (and so swimming with Lions of all nationalities). The monorail itself was a cool ride, giving us some great views as we moved across the Strip. Once we arrived at the MGM Grand, we headed to their food court for lunch. There were lots of great options - Johnny Rockets, a Mexican joint, a Pan Asian restaurant, a pizza place, and a chicken fingers restaurant - I think that everyone was able to find something to eat! After lunch, we moved on to the Luxor, where we took in the Titanic exhibit. This was a great and positive educational experience, allowing students to interact with the past. Highlights included a reproduction of the grand staircase, being able to touch a replica iceberg, and the chance to smell perfume on artifacts recovered from the wreckage. After checking out the Titanic, we headed back to the MGM Grand for a rehearsal for Sunday's flag ceremony.
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We rounded out the day with a Las Vegas 51s baseball game, which was awesome. We played the National Anthem before the game began - be sure to check out the video on Facebook. Huge shout out to all of those of you who shared the video - we have nearly 2000 views on the video! Following the National Anthem, we stayed for the game. The 51s are a AAA team for the New York Mets. We had great seats - right behind home plate! We all got coupons to eat at the stadium (there were loads of options!) and shop at their team shop (and indeed, there seemed to be plenty of shopping going on!). It seems that anytime we hit a gift shop, several someones are buying something. Our kids also got in on the contests held down on the field between innings - we had a couple down on the field doing a crazy move called coffee grinders followed by a race (coffee grinders involve putting your head on a baseball bat with the other end on the ground and moving in circles around the bat) and an air guitar contest. The evening was a celebration of the 40th anniversary of Grease, so after the conclusion of the game (the 51s won!), there was a fireworks display set to music from the movie. It was an exciting ending to a great day!
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our first night in las vegas

6/29/2018

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After taking the afternoon for some rest, we headed out to Vegas for an evening of fun and adventure. First stop, dinner at the Hard Rock Café! Service was quick, food was great (I had the twisted macaroni and cheese, which was awesome!) and of course the Hard Rock is also an interesting place to eat. Much fun was had after dinner looking at the decorations and shopping in the gift shop. Many students bought souvenirs to commemorate the experience - including a lot of drumsticks!
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Following dinner, we headed out for a night on the town, Lions Band style! First, we visited the High Roller, a London Eye like Ferris Wheel that took us high in the sky for an awesome view of the city! During the 28 minute ride, we were to see fantastic views of the Strip, many of the iconic features of the Las Vegas landscape, and even some of the surrounding countryside.
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After the high point of our day, we headed off to the Mirage, where we watched their "Volcano" show along the Strip. The show, which was produced by the people responsible for the Bellagio fountains, was a simulation of a volcano erupting, using colored water and flame. It was super cool! There was one brief moment when the show stopped early on, and we thought that was it, but it restarted and we were able to see the entire show. After that, we headed back to our hotel for some much needed sleep.

​Up tomorrow: a full day of Vegas fun! Madame Tussaud's, the Titanic Exhibit, and a Fifty-Ones baseball game!
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A safe arrival and an exciting first day

6/29/2018

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Yesterday, we arrived in Las Vegas! Our flight out of BWI was very early (6:45!), so we left Gettysburg College VERY early Thursday morning (or very late Wednesday night, depending on your perspective) for the airport. The bus ride was uneventful, as was the flight. We arrived in Vegas with all people, luggage, and equipment accounted for! We were, by that point at 9am Vegas time, VERY tired. It was immediately apparent that we were in Las Vegas, however. Airports may look much the same across the world, but not in Vegas! We were greeted by the site of the ever ubiquitous Vegas slot machines - somewhat surprising in the airport, but there you have it.

Following our arrival at the airport, we met our tour director, Charles, loaded the buses and were off!
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The airport is close to the Strip, so we were quickly greeted with our first views of Las Vegas. On our way to the hotel, we stopped at the iconic "Welcome to Las Vegas" sing for a photo. (Check back later for the group photo!) This was also our introduction to the Las Vegas heat - not even 10 am and already in the 90s!
We then quickly arrived at our hotel, which had managed to prepare our rooms even though we were arriving extremely early. We spent the rest of the morning and the afternoon getting settled in and resting from our travels. Our hotel is great - we are located off the strip (so we can't walk to the strip), but are very close, so it's a short bus ride, which is nice. The hotel staff is also great, so we are well taken care of for the next week!
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Farewell Gettysburg... Viva Las Vegas!

6/29/2018

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It is hard to believe that an entire year has passed since we traveled to Chicago to celebrate the centennial of Lionism, and yet, here we are, embarking on another outrageously fun Lions band trip! Much has happened yesterday and today - unfortunately, for most of us, one thing that did NOT happen was sleep!  So, here we are, in Vegas, and very, very sleepy. To that end, I shall write about last evening's concert and leave the flight and events of today for tomorrow.

Last Sunday, approximately 70 students and band staff arrived at Gettysburg College, where we have been preparing for our tour to Las Vegas. This included the usual rehearsals and shenanigans - pool night, hanging out at the Attic, enjoying the stylings of Servo... While many things were the same as previous years, there was one marked difference - Ray Barfield retired from the band after last year's trip, and Vincent LoRusso has replaced him as chairman of the Lions Band Committee. 

Ray many not be with us on the trip, but we know he's still thinking of us, as he made the trip from Bedford to Gettysburg for Wednesday's concert! It was great to see him and catch up, even if it was a bit odd to see him sitting in the audience.
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We were also excited to have another very special guest - our own former director, Bob Zellner! We have missed Bob Z. the past two international trips, and so were pleased to have him and Arlene, along with their family, join us for our concert! Mr. Z. even conducted the Pennsylvania Polka at the conclusion of our concert - you can check out the video on our Facebook page.
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The concert was also well attended by family members and members of our local Lions clubs, many of whom became Band Boosters to help support the band. (Woohoo! Thanks for the support!) Many of our Lions club members were showing their Lions pride, rocking their vests, tshirts,, and hats.
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The concert included a mix of the iconic Lions Band numbers - America the Beautiful, God of our Fathers, and of course, the Pennsylvania Polka - and new repertoire that students have rehearsed over the past week, including a medley from the musical The Music Man. (appropriate, right?!?) The concert ensemble and the jazz band were in fine form, and there were many compliments at the end of the night!

Following the concert, we had some time to enjoy ice cream with our family, friends, and fellow Lions, before  loading up the truck. Then it was back to the dorms for a good night's sleep - or, well, basically a nap, as we checked out of those dorms and loaded the buses at 2:30 AM! 

We have safely arrived in Las Vegas and had a full day of rehearsal and fun, not to mention a great meal at the Hard Rock Café. I will post more about all of these activities tomorrow, when I have a had a good night's sleep and do not feel as though I am going to fall over.

To finish us up for the evening, some pictures from last night's concert:
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    Author

    Bonnie McCutcheon is the wife of Dr. Russell McCutcheon, Musical Director of the Lions PA All-State Band. She teaches history at Wilson College in Chambersburg PA, is an active member of the Gettysburg Lions Club, and volunteers with the Girl Scouts.

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The Pennsylvania Lions All-State Band is sponsored by Lions Clubs of Pennsylvania.  We Serve!
Pennsylvania State Council of Lions Clubs
949 East Park Drive
Harrisburg, PA 17111-2810
Phone:  717.564.2586  |  FAX:  717.564.2880
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