If you would like to add your photos to either the photo gallery or an offline CD collection of photos from the DC trip, please send your best photos to:

edward.mitchell@gmail.com

The "." between my first and last names is very important so do not leave it out.

I will take any digital images. Send only your best shots. Original (large) image files recommended so that others may print out high quality copies of your photos. Please do not send more than 10 megabytes of images in a single email (but you may send me more than one email with photos attached).

Please pass this along to your friends at school and parents who went on the D.C. trip.

The original video has now been edited, a new ending added, the audio cleaned up and it can now be watched in FULL SCREEN using Real Player, Windows Media Player/Internet Explorer or Quicktime 7 Player. Running time is 7 minutes 28 seconds. All videos will play as "streaming videos" so you do not have to download the whole 20 to 25 megabyte file first.

Click here for viewing options for watching the Eagle Marching Band in the 2006 Eagle Cherry Blossom Festival Parade.

Alert students may notice a couple of scenes are out of order, by design, because, well, that's how film and video work :-) My "moving camera" shots were not as smooth as I like due to seriously injuring my right knee 2 blocks before the parade start, but hey, the parade goes on anyway!

Update: As of April 15th, the parade video has been viewed about 300 times, the "About the Band" video has been viewed about 50 times during and since the D.C. trip, and Animals on the loose has been viewed just under 100 times. I do not know how many people have viewed the photo gallery, but a number of pictures were viewed 50 to 70 times each.

Other short videos, but not full screen and not necessarily streaming:

• Real Player - Animals loose in DC
  
• Windows Media - Animals loose in DC
  
• Quicktime-Animals loose in D.C.
  
• Quicktime-Arlington-Glenn Miller grave site
  
• Real Player - Arlington
  
• Windows Media - Arlington

Jim Loucks received an email message from another band director from Western Washington who happened to be on the group 1 flight to Seattle. He asked that I share that note here, anonymously, so I have removed identifying information, but otherwise have reproduced it in roughly the formatting in which it was received.

Way to go, Eagles …

Jim,

I just wanted to compliment you on the behavior of your students. My family and I rode home on the plane with you and your kids yesterday. I believe we were with the juniors/seniors. They were very friendly and courteous especially nearing the end of a long, tiring trip. I wish we could have seen them in the parade. I'm sure they sounded great and showed great "Eagle Band" pride.

I teach band at ********* in the ******** School District and we are also the Eagles. I've been teaching 17 years and it always brings a smile to my face when I see a nice bunch of music students. Congratulations on your trip and thanks again for making my families' trip home a pleasant one.

Sincerely,
********

You made all of us VERY proud!

(I was on the Group 2 flight and the same can be said for the freshmen and sophomores... Ed)

Since posting late Saturday, the NCBF marching band video has been viewed 167 times, the "About the band" video, 37 times and "Animals in DC" 42 times. Many of the still photos have been viewed by 30 to 70 people each.

I have received a few emails from viewers throughout the U.S. (and one from a band family relative in Europe). And one email from a non-band related person who just dropped in, saw all the fun, and wrote to say "this is a great band!"

The Eagle Band rocks!

During the past 24 hours, we have had visitors from the following locations:


For the technically minded, my server is pumping 1/2 gigabyte to 1 gigabyte of data per day, mostly for the videos.

New Video - Animals let loose in D.C.!
Click here to play "Animals on the loose in DC" video.

Riley and Krystal let loose with a little improv. I think.

Some students and parents have asked about getting photos and video after the trip. Pleae visit back to this web site for more information on this at a future date.

Can I have the photos I took added to the web site?
Absolutely. I will post information for those on the trip to deliver their photos to me so that they can be included online. The more good photos that we can get, the better! So start selecting your best!

Can we get access to the original full size images for making photo prints?
Yes. I intend to make available one or more CDs containing the original images and an easy to browse photo directory (and a DVD with band video). These full size images will produce the highest quality prints. Each disc will be available for a suggested donation to the Band Boosters. I will donate 100% of the costs of production of the discs.

Will the original full size images be available online?
Seeing as how I have about 400 megabytes of original images myself, I suspect that after receiving photos from others that we may have to plan on distribution on one or more CDs for practical reasons. I will likely put a photo directory showing small images online so you can "browse before you donate"!

When will the discs be available?
I have no idea! Watch this web site for further information!

About the online video
I will be remastering the "big parade" video some time this week so that the file is probably half the size and the image quality is 2 to 4 times better. And it will then be available in Windows Media Player and Real Player formats too.

Ed

All groups have left Seatac for food in Burien. This is the last update as I left tour in Seattle to address a family matter.

Group 2 is ready to depart @ 5:45 pm. Group
1 departs from different airport & I have no info on them.

The original video posted right after the parade on April 8th has been updated as of April 12th:

Please Click here to select and play video

Link to Flickr Gallery for just a few still photos added today. (I mostly shot video today.)



The crowd loved the music and the jazz performance. The band's lines were straight! They really looked great. Mr Loucks said that all parents should be very proud of their kids for the superb job they have done. (And I second that ... Ed)

In spite of the rain, there were big crowds.



For your information - after the trip, we will try to make available the original high resolution photographs online so that you can download them for high quality prints.

The latest batch of photos are probably the last photos that will be uploaded from D.C.

HOWEVER, it looks like we may have video available here on the web site later today!

A bit wet but they marched great. Super

Its parade time & it is raining

I have created a very quick edit of a short 1.5 minute video clip in QuickTime format. You will need the free Quicktime player software if you do not already have it. (If you have iTunes, you have it.) I will post Windows Media and Real Player versions, and probably some full screen videos too, after our return to Spokane.

The video is a short laying of a wreath, from WVHS, at the grave site of Glenn Miller, both famous for the Glenn Miller Orchestra and as a WW II pilot in the US Army Air Corps. This also requires at least a 500 kbps connection - most DSL and all cable modems are much faster than this.

Play Quicktime video.

Link to Flickr Gallery.

I am going to see if I can edit a tiny video and post that tonight. No guarantees as it may take more time than I have available. If I don't do that, I will instead try to tape a bit of the band practice.

Ed

Visited Arlington Cem. Then another Smithsonian mus. Now at Kennedy Ctr. Japanese percussion group perf.

If you download this image you should get a much larger version of the picture.

I have posted 30 more photos to Flickr this morning. Due to very little time available to get these updated, I will continue to try and update photos as I can. I do not see any time available to upload video on Saturday.


Link to Flickr Gallery.

Change of plans!-now at Lincoln Memorial.

Had dinner-now the band will do a rehearsal somewhere.

We were leaving the Supreme Court today just as PD evacuated several blocks so we walked on to lunch.

A few more photos were added to the Flickr Gallery.

Click on the photo for a larger version of this image.



Will eventually make a "really big version" of this one available.

Please check out the photo gallery for lots of photos. This gallery will be regularly updated with new pictures as we have Internet access. May be some video if I get time to put that together.

where we saw the actual, original US Constitution and Declaration of Independence. The real deal.


CLICK ON ANY IMAGE TO SEE A LARGER VERSION OF THE PICTURE!

Many kids have been up for nearly 40 hours, especially those that got no sleep (did not even try!) on the plane.


CLICK ON ANY OF THESE PHOTOS TO SEE A LARGER VERSION OF THE IMAGE.

But he did fly overhead!

Photo taken earlier today in front of the White House. Browse the flickr.com photo gallery for group photos.

30 pictures have been uploaded to our Flickr Photo Gallery, available by clicking here. Browse through the small images and then select any image to see a larger image. Click on "All Sizes" when viewing an image to see the largest size available.

Saw White House, Holocaust museum, Jefferson Memorial, National Archives

We are in D.C. On tour buses headed to food & museums.

The Eagles have landed.

Everyone is through security check at Seatac. Now we wait to depart in about 2 hours.

We have arrived for dinner near Seatac

A huge thank you goes out to both our business and individual sponsors who have donated to the WV Band Boosters to make the Eagle Marching Band's trip to the National Cherry Blossom Festival Parade a reality.

Business Sponsors

• Garco Construction
  
• NW Architectural Co.
  
• EVCO Inc
  
• ARC Electric & Lighting
  
• Spokane Packaging
  
• National Barricade Co
  
• Crary, Clark & Domanico
  
• Lee NW Publishing
  
• Horizon Credit Union
  
• Spokane Valley Lions Club
  
• Coremark
  
• Botzon's Automotive
  
• Central Pre-Mix
  
• Avista Corp
  
• East Spokane Kiwanis
  
• Spokane Valley Kiwanis

Also a huge thank you to the individual and family contributors. We have not listed them here since many asked not to be identified.