Eagle Pride readies for world-class event

Smith has several recommendations for the community. “Be generous with financial and emotional support. And celebrate with the Eagle Pride on January 1 as the great city of Niceville is represented for one million live spectators and 400 million television viewers.”

As the band gets ready to put the Florida Panhandle on the map, some have already stepped forward to help.

In early August, a second-hand booksale held at Niceville High School brought in roughly $650. Volunteer Tricia Brunson coordinated the sale.

Cindy Schroeder, NHS band booster president, welcomes that effort. She also said HGTV recently, and unexpectedly, donated $1000 and a sign, which will be displayed on the school’s track. “HGTV’s gift is also very much appreciated,” Schroeder said.

So what else is cooking?

 Even before band parent Debbie Miller’s daughter, Amy, a sophomore and clarinetist, began selling the new, second volume of Sounds Delicious cookbooks, Miller thumbed through it, spied a slow cooker recipe for French dip sandwiches, and decided to try it. The results were good, said Miller, and she liked putting the crockpot to use while she was at work. The $10 cookbooks are one-of-a-kind, feature over 200 recipes from band members and their families, and an index lists contributors, so people receiving the books as keepsake gifts can look up their respective student’s name. The books will also be on sale at NHS football games. There’s everything from main dishes to soups to desserts.

Maybe Miller will put one of the book’s gumbo recipes in the cooker before heading off to chair a fundraiser for Longaberger Baskets on Sept. 25, 6-8 pm, at the NHS band room. “Everyone’s invited,” said Miller. The handmade baskets are quite popular, plus they’re made in America, she said. “And the band will earn 20 percent of the total sales.” Additionally, Longaberger is offering a designer basket with the school’s colors, and musical notes on the nail heads.

Some band parents think it’s time folks took a luxurious vacation, or at least a shot at one. “You could be a lucky winner!” said Carole Heubusch. She and volunteer Tracy Welch staff a booth at the NHS home games to help students sell tickets for a seven-night Caribbean cruise on Holland America. The cruise is for two people, inside cabin, with a suggested donation of $5 toward the drawing. The tickets have an approximate value of $2000, and are on sale until Nov. 30, said Jay Heubusch, Carole’s husband. The winning ticket will be drawn Dec. 1 prior to the NHS Eagle Pride’s Sounds of the Stadium Concert at Okaloosa-Walton College, he said.

At the NHS home games, you will see band volunteers at the gates carrying silver pails adorned with red roses. The pails are a way of passing the hat, and are an extension of the Pennies for Pasadena fundraiser. Many local businesses are supporting the Eagle Pride by prominently displaying jars near registers and service counters, and the proceeds received will offset travel expenses for the band as it prepares for the week-long trip to California.

If you eat at Beef O’Brady’s in Bluewater on Sept. 12, the restaurant donates 10 percent of the day’s proceeds to the band, said Mary Love, co-owner. “That includes lunch, dinner, and take-out orders.” She and her husband, Rodney, and his brother Glyn Love, are pleased to help the band. “Beef’s has always supported Niceville High, and all the schools in the area. It’s part of supporting the community.”

One mom, Carolyn Sekas, has devoted time to crocheting an afghan quilt in Niceville’s colors, in burgundy, black and white, with a big N in the middle, and eagles on the sides. The quilt, said Sekas, will go to the winner of a ticket drawing. Students are selling these for $1 per ticket. “This money goes straight into the student’s account,” said Sekas.

Meanwhile, the excitement for the Tournament of Roses Parade is building. People in 100 countries will view the Rose Parade on television on New Year’s Day, as nine networks broadcast it worldwide.  

The trip is a huge endeavor, one equal to the NHS band’s legendary ability to captivate audiences. A Boeing 747-400 jumbo jet will carry band directors, staff, chaperones, musicians, the color guard, and majorettes, and all their equipment, to and from Pasadena.

 And when they get home, people in this small, tight-knit town will still be cheering. Especially the school principal. “Oh, my goodness, we’ll be absolutely joyous,” said Smith.

To make a tax deductible donation, sponsor a student, or for more information, contact Daniel Wooten, NHS Band Director, at (850) 833-4261, or Cindy Schroeder, President, NHS Band Boosters, at (850) 678-3833. You may also mail a contribution to:

Niceville High School
ATTN: Eagle Pride Marching Band
800 E. John Sims Parkway
Niceville, Florida 32578

Checks are to be made payable to “NHS Band” and “Rose Parade® Donation” should be noted on the check’s memo line.

 To find out more about Alumni Donations, visit the Niceville Band Web site at www.nhseaglepride.com

 To be part of the excitement, Rose Parade pins cost only $5 at the home games.

 For more information about the Cruise Drawing, call Carole (850) 897-4669 or Tracy at (850) 897-4269.

 To order Sounds Delicious cookbooks, contact any NHS band student. For more information, call Cindy at (850) 897-3343.