on to choral music

This evening, the River Falls High School music program presented a concert with beautiful a capella pieces by the two high choirs. Once again, I could hear the beautiful sound of bass from our handsome 18 year old.

our bass is in the back row third from left--standing next to his really tall buddy Wes.

posts from the weekend

It will be a while before I settle down about the excitement of a magical weekend where the Wildcats took top honors for division III at the Wisconsin State Marching Band competition.

Top photo is from school website and bottom photo is a good photo of all the Seniors at their rose ceremony.

fire truck fire truck... today Anders rode on a fire truck

This morning dawned early with our late bedtime, served breakfast of yogurt, quick breads, muffins and fruit. Then time to pack up and clean the school and then the yearly rose ceremony where the directors speak so kindly of the great class who had their last high school marching band performance last night. They then presented each senior with a yellow rose and pin.

Then it was onto the bus for our 4 1/2 hour bus ride home. I met a lovely guard girl named Betty and had lots of laughs with Lynn.

We stopped in Tomah for lunch and then got back on the road to get to River Falls where a fire truck was awaiting our buses. The seniors got off the buses and climbed on top of the fire truck. We did a 2 mile parade from the bowling alley to the high school. We were greeted by so many wonderful parents and friends...

Anders up on the fire truck

Osten and Brad waving to us on the parade route

We arrived at the high school and got some good photos:

Anders with Mr. Coughlin and Mr. Jaeckle

Anders with his low brass buddies--Rowan, Wes, Anders and Ethan

the low brass with their directors

His rose in Stuart and Kyeanna's wedding vase

Anders and his little tuba brother, Alex

the Promise of Gold

The River Falls Wildcats marching band departed from the school at 4:30pm on Friday. We drove to the Eau Claire mall for dinner. I ate with band mom's Emily and Lynn and did a little shopping for a jacket because the weather was looking a little cooler than I had anticipated. We got back on the buses and headed to Palmyra High School to set up camp in the gym. I set up in the gym with all the kids. I didn't anticipate getting any sleep at all, but was pleasantly surprised to get about 6 hours of sleep.

Waking up Saturday, the chaperones prepared breakfast and the brass players practiced to play to a full crowd of sleeping kids in the gym. At 9am, the kids ate our breakfast of pancakes, eggs and fruit. Then, they went out to practice for several hours and the chaperones went for an invigorating walk. The band came back in at 4pm for pulled pork sandwiches, chips and baked potatoes. Then it was time to load buses for the competition! We drove to UW Whitewater, did our warmups and then took the field at 8:30pm. The crowd was very responsive to our show. An entire band that was observing stood up and chanted "We love your band, we love your band!". It was a flawless performance!

We then got all the props off the field and the band went and took photos. Next we went to the buses to get uniforms off and clothing on. Lastly we went to see the last two exhibition bands perform. The AAAA band performed and they blew our minds... they took the field and owned it. The UW Whitewater band didn't do as well as the top high school band. 

Then they gave awards to the A bands--Baldwin-Woodville won their division! We cheered enthusiastically. 

Next up were the AAA awards. River Falls was named top percussion, top visual performance and top musical performance. They ended up winning the competition with a score of 90.563. 

After the big win, we departed for the Palmyra High School to dine on Rocky Rococo and stay up really really late. I went to bed at about 1:30 and Anders stayed up until 4:30 am. It was an excited and amazing day. 

with my FAVORITE tuba player

serving with the fun group of band Mommas

dancing around while serving

Getting ready to take the field

with my loco friend, Lynn while we were doing our chaperone work

The state's best percussion

the tremendous picolo and trumpet feature

the mind blowing trombone feature

the cake for the team

the drum majors and guard captains with the hardware

obituary for Kimberly from the Star Tribune

Kimberly D. Weaver Olson

Weaver Olson, Kimberly D. Age 44, of Little Canada, passed away on September 29, 2019 after a battle with cancer. Preceded in death by her father, Robert T. Weaver. Survived by her husband Nathan, daughter Natalie, son Micah, mother Ann Weaver, sister Karen (Mike) Bushby, brother Ethan Weaver, and a large extended family. World traveler. Accomplish-ed nurse at Fairview - East Bank, floor 5b. Loving wife, mother, daughter, sister, and friend, with a keen wit and ongoing commitment to fostering a more just world. She is, and will be, deeply missed. Memorial service will be held at 11am on Saturday, October 26th at Calvary Church, 2608 Blaisdell Avenue S, Minneapolis.

Published on October 13, 2019

and perfect comment:

Kimberly had a sharp mind and a great sense of humor.  That was one of the many gifts she shared with the world - a capacity to make sense of things quickly, put them in context and then put a spin on her telling that made people laugh.  She worked with me as a gardener at my company, Post Script Gardens, a long time ago.  Every day in the garden with her was a joy.  I bet she was an amazing nurse and mom because she focused her care and made those around her feel welcomed in the warmth and aura she exuded.  She will be missed.  

heading to state marching band tomorrow

Tomorrow afternoon, the River Falls Marching Band will be heading east to Palmyra High School to spend the night. We will wake on Saturday morning to a yummy breakfast, spend most the day rehearsing and then the kids will perform at 8:30 on Saturday evening. After that we will head to the high school and crash on the gym floor.

I get to spend a very exciting time with my eldest...really looking forward to it!

cozy fire

Today was a really beautiful day, but now we are all snuggled under blankets and sitting next to a cozy fire. Better hit the hay soon!

delicious lunch

Yesterday, I dropped my friend, Jessie off at her house. She invited me in to eat lunch and I think I had the very best dumplings and really yummy steamed egg and milk along with a stir fry of potatoes and carrots. I don't know how I can repay her generosity. I am a very lucky person.

at camp

Brad and Katie are currently at Luther Point Bible Camp for a confirmation retreat. They left yesterday and will be returning today. I hope they have a great experience exploring their faith.

the day of the movie

On Sunday, Anders and I saw the movie Jexi together. I laughed out loud in many sections. Then I drove him home for play practice. I turned right around and went back to the theater to see the Downton Abbey movie. It was great to see all the characters on the big screen! Thanks Anders for coming to a movie with me! I had a blast.

4th place in class AAA competition at the Youth in Music Championships

The Youth In Music Championships have quickly become one of the premier marching band events in the Midwest, and the 2019 field contest promises to be the biggest in the event's history. The YIM Championships will be held in the brand new U.S. Bank Stadium in downtown Minneapolis. Join us on Saturday, October 12, 2019 for the fifteenth annual event.

As in past years, special guest units will perform during breaks in the contest. The 2019 lineup includes the South Dakota State University Marching Band, Minnesota State University-Mankato Marching Band and University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire Blugold Marching Band.

YIM MARCHING BAND CHAMPIONSHIPS (DAYTIME SHOW)
CLASS A
64.60 Andover
64.40 Blaine
64.30 Anoka
62.40 Eisenhower
61.60 Park Center
60.40 Lakeville South
58.80 Harrisburg
57.60 Mukwonago
56.60 Hutchinson
53.50 Pipestone
Exhib Hudson
Exhib St. Croix Central

CLASS AA
75.10 Hastings
71.30 Farmington
70.80 Minnetonka
70.20 Baldwin-Woodville
69.30 Lourdes
67.80 Champlin Park
62.40 Sioux Falls Washington

CLASS AAA
80.50 Millard West
80.40 Sioux Falls Roosevelt
79.70 Brandon Valley
78.20 River Falls
73.10 Waukesha North

CLASS AAAA
88.70 Rosemount
87.80 Eden Prairie
84.20 Marshall
83.80 Eastview
82.50 Irondale

COLLEGE BANDS IN EXHIBITION
Minnesota State University-Mankato Marching Band, Mankato, MN
South Dakota State University Marching Band, Brookings, SD
University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire Blugold Marching Band, Eau Claire, WI

YOUTH IN MUSIC GRAND CHAMPIONSHIP (EVENING SHOW)
88.20 Rosemount
87.40 Eden Prairie
84.10 Eastview
82.40 Marshall
81.70 Millard West
78.70 Brandon Valley
78.60 Irondale
75.80 Sioux Falls Roosevelt
74.60 Hastings
69.80 Andover

2019 Performance Schedule

Updated 6:30PM with tonight's Finals schedule

Session 1
7:25 Star Spangled Banner - YIM All Stars
7:30 Hutchinson High School Marching Band, Hutchinson, MN - A
7:45 Harrisburg High School Marching Band, Harrisburg, SD - A
8:00 Lakeville South High School Marching Band, Lakeville, MN - A
8:15 Mukwonago High School Marching Band, Mukwonago, WI - A
8:30 Eisenhower High School Cardinal Regiment, Blue Island, IL - A
8:45 Park Center Marching Band, Brooklyn Park, MN - A
9:00 Andover Marching Band, Andover, MN - A
9:15 Blaine Marching Bengals, Blaine, MN - A
9:30 Pipestone Area Marching Arrows, Pipestone, MN - A
9:45 Coon Rapids Marching Cardinals, Coon Rapids, MN - A
10:00 Anoka High School Marching Band, Anoka, MN - A
10:15 St. Croix Central High School Marching Band, Hammond, WI - Exhibition
10:30 Hudson High School Marching Band, Hudson, WI - Exhibition
10:45 Washington High School Marching Band, Sioux Falls, SD - AA
11:00 Baldwin-Woodville High School Marching Band, Baldwin, WI - AA
11:15 Farmington Tiger Marching Band, Farmington, MN - AA
11:30 Minnetonka High School Marching Band, Minnetonka, MN - AA
11:45 Champlin Park Marching Rebels, Champlin, MN - AA
12:00 Hastings Raiders Marching Band, Hastings, MN - AA
12:15 Lourdes High School Marching Band, Rochester, MN - AA
12:30 Minnesota State University-Mankato Marching Band, Mankato, MN - Exhibition

12:45 A/AA Awards

1:15 Brandon Valley High School Marching Band, Brandon, SD - AAA
1:30 Millard West High School Marching Band, Omaha, NE - AAA
1:45 Waukesha North High School Marching Band, Waukesha, WI - AAA
2:00 River Falls High School Marching Band, River Falls, WI - AAA
2:15 Roosevelt High School Marching Band, Sioux Falls, SD - AAA
2:30 Irondale Marching Knights, New Brighton, MN - AAAA
2:45 Eastview High School Marching Band, Apple Valley, MN - AAAA
3:00 Marshall Tiger Marching Band, Marshall, MN - AAAA
3:15 Eden Prairie Eagle Marching Band, Eden Prairie, MN - AAAA
3:30 Rosemount High School Marching Band, Rosemount, MN - AAAA
3:45 South Dakota State University Marching Band, Brookings, SD - Exhibition

4:00 AAA/AAAA Awards


Session 2/Evening Finals

7:15 Star Spangled Banner - Forest Lake High School Marching Band
7:30 Andover Marching Band, Andover, MN
7:45 Roosevelt High School Marching Band, Sioux Falls, SD
8:00 Hastings Raiders Marching Band, Hastings, MN
8:15 Brandon Valley High School Marching Band, Brandon, SD
8:30 Irondale Marching Knights, New Brighton, MN
8:45 BREAK
9:00 Millard West High School Marching Band, Omaha, NE
9:15 Eastview High School Marching Band, Apple Valley, MN
9:30 Eden Prairie Eagle Marching Band, Eden Prairie, MN
9:45 Rosemount High School Marching Band, Rosemount, MN
10:00 Marshall Tiger Marching Band, Marshall, MN
10:15 University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire
Awards

Here are some photos from the day (I was the lead chaperone for the color guard)