The Olney, IL Christmas Parade is scheduled for Saturday, November 25th at 6:30 PM. The schedule for the combined Symphonic Band, and the Honors Wind Ensemble:

5:15 PM.............Meet at RCHS in department clothing (dress warm) & load
5:50 PM.............Walk from the school to parade line-up at the intersection of Scott St. & East St.

6:10 PM.............Set in parade block at parade location
6:30 PM.............Parade step-off
7:40-7:50 PM....Estimated return to RCHS

I recommend that all students layer up underneath to stay warm. We are in our full uniform, minus the shakoes and plumes. That being said, add holiday related items to the uniform, or at the very least wear lots of green and red!

On Monday, May 29th, a bugler and a chamber ensemble performs at the Noble Memorial Day Ceremony. The Symphonic Band, the Honors Wind Ensemble, & the drumline are all performing at the Olney Memorial Day parade and ceremony.

Here are the details regarding the Noble & Olney Memorial Day Parade Ceremonies:

NOBLE: The Cornerstone Community Church and the Mayor of Noble hosts a Memorial Day ceremony at the cemetery in East Noble. In the event of rain, the ceremony will be held in the Cornerstone Community Church (160 E. Elm St. Noble, IL). Immediately after the Noble ceremony, the quintet and bugler will join the band at the Olney VFW.

OLNEY: The VFW is hosting a Memorial Day parade and ceremony. The parade will begin at the Olney VFW. The ceremony will take place immediately after the conclusion of the parade at Haven Hill Cemetery (just north of the City Park). In the event of rain, the ceremony shall be held in the VFW hall.

The uniform is khaki shorts, black polo shirts, socks, belt (preferably black), and either Drillmaster shoes or tennis shoes. Students will also need flip folders, lyres, and instruments.

The times are as follows:
Cornerstone Community Church at the Cemetery in East Noble

8:30 AM: Call-time for bugler & quintet at RCHS
8:35 AM: Change into performance attire, warm-up & run through music
9:05 AM: Bugler & saxophone ensemble leaves for Noble Cemetery in a school van
9:30 AM: Bugler & saxophone ensemble arrive at the cemetery in East Noble.
10:00 AM: Noble Ceremony (bugler & saxophone ensemble only)
IMMEDIATELY AFTER GOD BLESS AMERICA & TAPS: Return to Olney and join the band at the Olney VFW.

9:30 AM: Call-time at RCHS (all but bugler & saxophone ensemble)
10:00 AM: Load bus and depart for Olney VFW followed by Haven Hill Cemetery
10:15 AM: Parade line-up at the Olney VFW or at the cemetery (based on time)
10:30 AM: Parade step-off (parade begins)
11:00 AM: Olney Memorial Day ceremony at Haven Hill Cemetery.

I anticipate the parade and the ceremony won't last longer than an hour and a half, which will put the band back at the school around 12-12:30 PM.

The band is performing the following songs:
TAPS (Noble ceremony only)
​God Bless America (Noble ceremony only)
Hosts of Freedom
Star Spangled Banner

[Not performing for 2023]
Army
Navy
Marines
Coast Guard
Air Force
Merchant Marines

Please bring water with you to this event. I encourage students to bring a water canteen. Canteens/coolers need to go on the bus. Please drink plenty of water!

I know that this falls on Memorial Day weekend, falls during the summer, and many families will be out of town. That being said, we need as many RCHS Bands members to this performance as possible. All total, the combined Honors Wind Ensemble & Symphonic Band are around 35 students during the 4th term. This is a record low for the band program! We want to support the cities of Olney & Noble (and our veterans) that support us. For us to do this, we need your help. Students, please make every effort to be at this event. It means a lot to this community.

Please feel free to contact me should you have any questions, comments, or concerns.

There have been a couple of updates pertaining to the Basketball Band schedule for the 2023 season:

1) The game originally schedule for Thursday, February 9th has been moved to Wednesday, February 8th. This impacts those within the Orange Basketball Band.

2) The Honors Wind Ensemble has been selected to perform at the IHSA Boys Basketball State Finals on Friday, March 10th, 2023 on the campus of the University of Illinois. In addition to the members of the Honors Wind Ensemble, select students from the Symphonic Band will be invited to perform as a way to fill out sections. More details coming within the next week or two.

INCLEMENT WEATHER PLAN: Should the parade be cancelled, the ceremony will move indoors to the VFW hall. The new call-time is 10am in department shorts, shirts, black crew socks, and black marching band shoes.

The combined Symphonic Band, Honors Wind Ensemble, the cologuard (for those that wish to perform) performs in the Olney Veterans Day Parade scheduled for Friday, November 11th. We are performing in our marching band uniforms for this event. If you do not have a uniform, please contact Mr. Jones or Mrs. Deimel as soon as possible.

The itinerary for the day is as follows:

9:30 AM................Call-time in the rehearsal hall in show/division shirt, shorts & Drillmasters. You may wear sweat pants under the uniform; however, no jeans, please.

9:35 AM................Change into marching band uniforms.

10:00 AM..............Buses arrive at the circle drive at RCHS

10:10 AM..............Load the buses

10:20 AM..............Parade line-up at Trust Band

10:40 AM..............Parade step-off

• Host of Freedom (memorized)

11:00 AM..............Ceremony outside the Richland County Court House. In the event of rain, the event will take place in the VFW hall. You will need:

• Lyre
• Flip folder
• Armed Forces on Parade
• Heave Ho My Lads

12:00 PM.............Estimated return time to RCHS


SCRIPT FOR THE CEREMONY AT THE COURTHOUSE:

1. Preceremony Music (Hosts of Freedom)
2. Opening Remarks
3. Invocation
4. Introduction of VFW Commander
5. Empty Chair
6. Star Spangled Banner
7. Guest Speaker
8. Branch of Service Songs (Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force, Coast Guard, Merchant Marines)
9. 21-Gun Salute & TAPS
10. God Bless America
11. Benediction
12. Closing Remarks
    

The Olney, IL Christmas Parade is scheduled for Saturday, November 26th at 6:30 PM. The schedule for the combined Symphonic Band, Honors Wind Ensemble, and Color Guard is as follows:

5:30 PM.............Meet in the RCHS Music Department. Change into uniforms & load sousaphone and drum line cases into the small trailer.

5:55 PM.............Walk from the school to parade line-up at the intersection of Scott St. & East St.

6:10 PM.............Set in parade block at parade location

6:15 PM.............Drum major steps off the parade block, band warm-up, and run through the parade tunes.

6:30 PM.............Parade step-off

7:00 PM.............Estimated meet-up with buses near Eagleson's Car Dealership

7:15-7:30 PM....Estimated return to RCHS

I recommend that all students layer up underneath to stay warm. Color guard may wear any holiday garb. Winds & percussion will wear the marching band uniforms (don't forget your marching band shoes and black, crew socks!). Those wearing the marching band uniforms may string lights, tinsel, and wear a Santa's hat, elf hat, reindeer antlers, etc.

UPDATED 4/28/22

The combined Honors Wind Ensemble & the Symphonic Band (4th term) are enjoying a day in the park at Six Flags St. Louis on Saturday, April 30th.

Trip attire is the orange RCHS department shirt ($10), jeans, and tennis shoes for the day at the park. Students need not purchase a new department shirt should they already have a shirt. The performance attire includes tuxedos and concert dresses (or black, dress blouse, black dress slacks, and dress shoes).

The cost for students to participate is nothing! The RCHS Bands program is picking up the bill this year as a reward for enduring the pandemic and all that went along with it. Meals are not provided. Students should bring either money or sack meals for lunch and dinner.

BAND FESTIVAL SCHEDULE:
6:45 am........................................................Call-time at RCHS
6:50-7:15 am...............................................Change into concert attire & load
7:30-10:44 am.............................................Depart for St. Charles High School
10:45 am......................................................Arrive at St. Charles High School
11:20 am.......................................................Warm-Up & Tune
10:01-11:20 am............................................Prepare for performance
11:45 am.......................................................Performance
12:15 pm.....................................................Depart for Six Flags
1:30-6:00 pm...............................................Fun in the park!
6:00 pm........................................................Call-time (fountain by front gates)
6:15 pm........................................................Dinner at a fast food restaurant
10:00 pm......................................................Estimated return time to Olney

APPROPRIATE ATTIRE FOR THE WATERPARK (...when open):
To participate in the water park activities, you must wear a swimsuit. We recommend nylon swimsuits with liners. We don’t allow guests to enter the water areas wearing thong bathing suits, regular shorts (including khaki and cargo styles), long pants, street clothes, cut-off shorts, or denim. Because they can damage the rides, we also do not allow swimwear with buttons, snaps, rivets or zippers. But, don’t worry—if you don’t have the appropriate clothing, swimsuits can be purchased on site! Here are more guidelines to help you pick out the best attire for your trip to Hurricane Harbor:

• Shoes are not allowed in any attraction.
• Aqua socks/water shoes are not permitted on some slides.
• Swimsuits are only allowed in Hurricane Harbor, and must be appropriate for a family environment.
• Shoes, proper shorts, jean and cover-up attire are all required when returning to the theme park.

PACKING LIST:

• Mask
• Hand sanitizer
• Department Shirt
• Jeans
• Tennis Shoes
• Hoodie or Light Jacket
• Hat (optional)
• Swimwear
• Towel
• Sun Screen
• Money or sack meals (lunch & dinner)

FIRST AID:
Our First Aid Station is located by Hurricane Bay on the East side of the Volcano. Our trained staff of Paramedics and Emergency Medical Technicians are always on duty during waterpark hours.

SIX FLAGS WEBSITE:
https://www.sixflags.com/stlouis

If you are permitting your student to attend the field trip, please sign the form and return to Mr. Jones by prior to the trip. You may find a copy of the permission slip in the link at the bottom of this post.

Please feel free to call or email me should you have any questions at cjones@rccu1.net or by calling (618) 393-2191 ext. 3153.

The Olney, IL Christmas Parade is scheduled for Saturday, November 27th at 6:30 PM. The schedule for the combined Symphonic Band, Honors Wind Ensemble, and colorguard is as follows:

5:30 PM.............Meet in the RCHS Music Department. Change into uniforms & load sousaphone and drum line cases into the small trailer.

5:55 PM.............Walk from the school to parade line-up at the intersection of Scott St. & East St.

6:10 PM.............Set in parade block at parade location

6:15 PM.............Drum major steps off the parade block, band warm-up, and run through the parade tunes.

6:30 PM.............Parade step-off

7:00 PM.............Estimated meet-up with buses near Eagleson's Car Dealership

7:15-7:30 PM....Estimated return to RCHS

I recommend that all students layer up underneath to stay warm. Color guard may wear any holiday garb. Winds & percussion will wear the marching band uniforms (don't forget your marching band shoes and black, crew socks!). Those wearing the marching band uniforms may string lights, tinsel, and wear a Santa's hat, elf hat, reindeer antlers, etc.

Ladies & gentlemen, the Oblong Spooktacular Parade is right around the corner! This is your chance to dress up in your favorite Halloween garb. The parade is hosted in Oblong, IL on Saturday, October 30th, 2021.

The schedule for the Spooktacular Parade is as follows:

4:30 PM.........................................Call-time at RCHS
4:35 PM.........................................Load equipment
5:05 PM.........................................Buses arrive at exit 21
5:15 PM.........................................Depart for Oblong, IL
6:00 PM.........................................Parade line-up
7:00 PM.........................................Parade step-off
11:00 PM.......................................Estimated return time to RCHS


Parade Route
The Oblong Spooktacular Parade will follow the same parade route as previous years.  The parade will begin at the Oblong City Park, travel west on Main Street (IL Rt. 33) through town, and end at the west end of town by the Oblong Elementary School.  The bands will turn south (left) on Jefferson Street , go 2 blocks, turn east (left) , travel 2 blocks to Adams – turn south (right) on Adams and continue to the Oblong High School. 
 
Concessions at Park
There will be concessions available at the Oblong City Park since there can be a long wait to march.  Debbie’s concession trailer will be there, as well as the local 4-H club, with a variety of foods available.
 
Parade Line-up
Parade bands will need to be at the Oblong City Park no later than 6:00pm for line-up, Also there is no entrance to the park from Main Street.  When arriving in Oblong, either from the east or west, turn north on Taylor Street and go all the way to the end of Taylor.  This brings you to Wisconsin Street, where you will turn east (right) and follow the road around the Oblong Lake. 
 
The buses and equipment trailers will be directed to the high school after unloading. The band will meet up with the buses at the high school following the parade.
            
Post-Parade / Awards
When arriving back at the Oblong High School, the pavilion and concession area will be serving hot food, popcorn, candy and drinks.  A DJ will be there to play music, and students are welcome to dance on the football field.  Please ask your bands to use the trash and recycle containers located around the school grounds.  There will be portable toilets available in the school parking area, and limited indoor restrooms are available at the southeast corner of the school.

Due to the outbreak of the COVID-19 virus within the continental United States of America, IHSA has cancelled the 2020 Organizational Contest throughout the state on April 18th, 2020.