Hempfield Area band returning to Hawaii in spring

The Hempfield Area Marching Band isn’t missing a beat.

After sitting idle for most of the past year because of the covid-19 pandemic, the band will return to Hawaii this spring. It will perform at Pearl Harbor and march in the Honolulu Festival Parade, band Director Brian Tychinski said. The jazz band also will perform at the Ala Moana Centerstage as part of the festival.

“The students have felt so grateful to have had a full season of performances — they’ve endured the masks, quarantined when required to and followed whatever rules were required,” Tychinski said. “The kids are so excited to be traveling to Hawaii, and, after so many months of isolation and confinement, they are more than ready to have this adventure.”

There are 120 students expected to go on the trip, scheduled for March 10-15. The cost is about $3,500 per student, with many relying on sub sales to pay for the excursion. This will be the band’s fourth trip to Honolulu.

Last year, the band was unable to go because of the pandemic.

Band leaders tried to plan a trip to Nashville, Tenn., “but it proved arduous,” Tychinski said. “Planning for safety measures for bus travel, hotel accommodations, meals and so forth, as you can imagine, was extremely difficult last year, and there was no guarantee that anything would even be open.”

The Hempfield Band Parents Association in January stopped pursuing Nashville as an option and instead worked with senior parents to develop a plan based on what could be done at the time. Money raised for Hawaii before the pandemic was used to take seniors on a day trip to Cleveland in June. They also received items for college.

A health and safety plan was created for the Hawaii trip, piggybacking off plans made in previous years. Medical professionals are included as part of the chaperone group. The plan also covers safety issues while flying, on a bus or enjoying free time, along with medical issues.

Tychinski said officials are monitoring covid-related guidelines in Pennsylvania and Hawaii, as well as for the airlines.

“A huge part of keeping everyone safe is really about communication,” he said. “The sooner we know and can inform our parents about important items like vaccination status versus testing, the more prepared everyone is. We have a liaison on the Oahu side that keeps us appraised as the rules have been constantly changing, just like here.”

Rob Bojarski, president of the Hempfield Area Band Parents Association, said the district has been supportive of the band through the planning process.

He added that community members supporting sub sales also paved the way for students to be able to attend the Hawaii trip.

“We’re thrilled that we’ve been able to work so closely as the Band Parents Association with the district to safely provide support to the band program over the last 18 months,” Bojarski said. “We’re glad the district is supporting the band in having the kids travel and perform.”

In addition to performing, students will visit the Polynesian Cultural Center, where they will see a hula show and take a dinner cruise along the island.

“It’s become a trip that I look forward to for the kids,” Tychinski said. “Of course, they are excited to see the beach and such, but they aren’t prepared for the overwhelming feeling of being at the USS Arizona Memorial, and then to perform there. How many kids have that opportunity?”