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Bowling Green High School
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Gala Evening in Paris
Jan 1 @ 11:30 pm, Paris time - from Peg McClanahan The day started later than usual as travelers were recovering from the late night of New Year's Eve celebrations. Everyone enjoyed a day of sleeping in. After a beautiful New Year's Eve parade in Chantilly, everyone was disappointed to see rain on New Year's Day, however. Students dressed in uniforms, including raincoats, and reported to their busses. They were dropped off near the end of the parade route and walked to the beginning of the route. They were also issued box lunches which they ate while they waited. They were happy to have chips and sandwiches made on "regular" (non French) bread. Non marching travelers were dropped off at the same location and walked to their bleacher area which was also near the beginning of the parade route. Most stopped off at local cafes along the way to obtain a take out lunch, which they enjoyed before the parade began The La Grande Parade de Paris was a huge success for the Bobcat Band. Even though it rained most of the day, it was a light misty rain and did not dampen the spirits of the enthusiastic Parisians who came out to cheer for the bands. Thousands of people lined the streets and pointed enthusiastically when the bands would approach. The band stopped several times to perform for the crowds. It was a beautiful and touching sight to see our Bobcat Band round the corner and start their march. In addition, the band passed out American flags to those non marching travelers who came to watch the parade. As each American group marched past, the American flags would wave. It was also interesting how the French people loved the flags. In Chantilly, as well as Paris, the French would ask for the flags and would enthusiastically wave them. The highlights of the parade were the American groups (marching bands and pom pom groups) and many of the performers were the same ones that had performed in the Chantilly parade. The "floats" were loud, garish figures reminiscent of Mardi Gras parades....which makes sense since Mardi Gras is of French influence. When the band completed the parade route they were taken by bus back to the hotel to shower and change for the Gala Evening. (Although it rained, it was warm so most of the students didn't get cold while marching.) Those travelers in the stands had the option of watching the whole parade and returning back to the hotel on the Metro or following the BG band as they marched and returning on the bus. In the evening, with all decked out in their dress clothes, we all went out for a French dinner at the Buffet Austerlitz. This restaurant is located in a train station and the parking of the busses (and subsequent "bumping" of cars by the busses) was an experience in itself! The dinner consisted of Quiche Lorraine as a first course. It was a welcome change, but the next course consisted of....chicken once again. Desert was a custard type dish with cherries in it. After dinner we traveled by bus to the Seine River boat dock. Due to unusually heavy traffic, we missed our scheduled boat, but we were able to get on another without too much waiting. (The drive by bus was nerve-wracking to say the least. Due to traffic, the busses took back streets that often allowed no more than 1 foot or less clearance on either side of the busses. It was also an experience the kids will remember!) As we approached the boat dock, we were rewarded with the blue sparkling lights of the Eiffel Tower. During the year 2000, the Tower "sparkled" every night for ten minutes each hour, on the hour. Because it was such a success, the City decided that they'd continue during the year 2001. During the last week of 2000, the lights were changed from white to blue and New Year's Eve was the first night to display the new color. The boat we rode was mostly enclosed, but in spite of the cold, several of the students chose to sit outside. It was a nice opportunity to see the beautiful buildings of Paris lit up at night. Notre Dame was especially beautiful. It was also a treat to see the Hotel de Ville lit up, bringing back memories of a successful jazz band concert. Each seat had a hand held "phone" which played commentary in one of several languages. The guide pointed out the buildings but also gave historical insights into the buildings. As we were returning to the dock, we were once again fortunate enough to see the twinkling blue lights of the Eiffel Tower close by. The rain had stopped and it was a great photo opportunity and a lovely end to a lovely day.
Band Booster Executive Board members
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