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AVHS band chosen for Fiesta Bowl
Summer fundraiser will help expenses to Arizona

by Jamie Altman

Band members in Pleasanton high schools are known for their dedication, devoting hours to training during the school year and attending 12-hour practices in the summer.

For the Amador Valley Band, the hard work has paid off; it has been invited to perform in the 2012 Fiesta Bowl Band Championships at the University of Phoenix Stadium from Dec. 26-Jan. 1.

The Fiesta Bowl is a "very established and very respectable band event," according to Jonathon Grantham, who has been the band director at Amador Valley for 10 years.

The national competition, which includes bands from 44 states, offers a prestigious title to the winning team. Contenders are chosen based on how they compete during the previous year's fall season.

"The Amador band hasn't really competed on a national level before, so it's exciting that this is finally happening," Grantham said.

Because the event is so renowned, the band sees it as an honor just to be invited to compete. Even if it doesn't win, the experience is the most important part.

However, due to financial issues, the opportunity could be in jeopardy, said band family members, so they have come together to organize multiple fundraisers throughout the summer to gain publicity and earn money.

Every Tuesday night from 4:30-9 p.m. in the Amador Valley parking lot, the band members are working in conjunction with food trucks. The events include music and socializing, with a portion of the proceeds going to the Fiesta Bowl funds.

Additionally, the band is putting on a "Thanks a 1000!" appreciation night in order to honor Grantham's 10 years at Amador. The date is still being determined and will be announced at www.amadormusic.org when it is decided. Admission will be $100 per person.

The band is also hosting the FORE Music Scramble Golf Tournament at the Castlewood Country Club. The event, planned for Monday, Sept. 10, includes a putting contest, prizes and a Fiesta bar. Check-in is at 10:30 a.m., with tee-off at 12:30 p.m.

Straight donations can be made to the band's nonprofit organization, Amador Friends of Music. Find information at www.amadormusic.org or call 699-7921.

Although band families have raised a portion of the funds, the Amador Band would still appreciate any form of help from the community in order to allow these hardworking band members to attend this once-in-a-lifetime experience, said supporters.