The Band Side

Willard Band Member in happier times

In December, 2010, the Willard (Mo) Cutting Edge Band started working and saving to take the band trip of a lifetime this June.  They would travel to Hawaii, the "Aloha State".  By February of this year $360,000 had been saved and paid in advance to Performing Hawaii Tours, the organization chosen to handle arrangements.

Chiefs #1 Draft Pick Kissing NFL Commissioner

That's when Performing Hawaii Tours became "non-performing".  The company stopped responding to calls and emails.  The FBI is looking into the matter, but it now appears that the only thing members of the Willard band will be saying aloha to is the $360,000 they paid up front.

In the undaunted spirit of youth, the band has now scaled back their trip.  They will travel to Orlando and visit the house the mouse built instead of Hawaii. 

Though it may initially seem unrelated to you, the Kansas City Chiefs selected Dontari Poe as their #1 draft pick last week.  Dontari got his start in football when the high school coach saw him playing in the band and suggested he try out for football.   Dontari is 6'5" and weighs 346 pounds.  There is some concern that Dontari is a big teddy bear (see above picture) and not cut out to try to separate opposing players from one or more of their internal organs if they attempt to run past him while carrying a football.

I have a solution:  Do you remember the movie The Blind Side?  It is the true story of Michael Oher, also somewhat of a pussycat when he first started playing football.  His job was to protect the quarterback's "blind side".  He finally took his role seriously when his mother said he should consider the quarterback a member of his family and to keep anyone from hurting him.  It worked.

Perhaps the Chiefs could suggest that Dontari pretend that any opposing player carrying the football is the person who stole the money for the Willard band trip and his job is to stop them.  Band ties run deep.  Even if it's not in him to be mean, at least maybe he wouldn't kiss them.  If it works, I see another movie in the works:  The Band Side.

The new Willard band trip is being arranged by Great Southern Travel, a local company.  That's a good lesson in Economics for the Willard student body:  Whenever you can, buy local.  That might help them avoid the OTHER economics lesson they learned:  sometimes you get, sometimes you get got.

Subtracting the $1200 each bandmember lost in the scam, they still have to raise $228 apiece this month to go on the Orlando trip.  If you'd like to help out, send your donation to:  Willard Band Boosters, PO BOX 381, Willard, Mo. 65781