The band will travel to Charlotte, North Carolina for the Sept. 1 football game against the Tennessee Volunteers and to Raleigh, North Carolina for the Sept. 15 football game against the N.C. State Wolfpack.
Alumni and friends of West Virginia University and the Mountaineer Marching Band are being asked to help the band travel to support the football team at two games in North Carolina in September.
Donations are now being accepted to the Pride Travel Fund, established by the WVU Foundation, to help reduce traveling costs for the Pride of West Virginia as the band is known.
The band will travel to Charlotte, North Carolina for the Sept. 1 football game against the Tennessee Volunteers and to Raleigh, North Carolina for the Sept. 15 football game against the N.C. State Wolfpack. Both trips are expected to include stops in southern West Virginia. Details on those performances are still being put together. The band also will travel to Kingwood for the 2018 Buckwheat Festival Saturday, Sept. 29.
“The Pride Travel Fund is an invaluable resource for the WVU Mountaineer Marching Band. The costs involved in transporting, housing, and feeding a 350-member organization such as The Pride can be extremely high,” said Scott Tobias, director of bands. “The generosity of our donors makes it possible for The Pride to continue to represent WVU and the entire state of West Virginia throughout the region and nation.”
Since its inception in 2007, the Pride Travel Fund has helped the band travel to many locations including football games at Auburn, LSU and Oklahoma, as well as other performances including the 2016 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City.
Stephen Lytle, associate director of bands, added, “Our students are passionate about WVU and many of our members come from high school programs where they’ve never been able to travel like this, let alone experience athletic events on this scale. It takes an incredible amount of resources to make this happen and donations help us to continue to support our team, our students, and promote West Virginia throughout the country.”
Last year, more than $100,000 was raised for the band’s travel from more than 800 donors.
Samantha Phelix, a Winfield native, is a four-year senior and drum major in the band.
“As members of the band, we are extremely grateful for the Pride Travel Fund,” she said. “It has allowed us to travel to many states during my time in the band, including Arizona, Florida, New York, and Texas. Support from our donors helps us gain memorable experiences all while being able to support our team.”
Make a gift to this year’s Pride Travel Fund on our website or call the WVU Foundation at 304.284.4000.
As a thank you for their generous support, all donors will receive a Pride of WV magnet. Donors of $100 or more will receive the magnet and a digital download code to receive last year’s Season Highlights Band Album. Donors of $500 or more will receive the magnet, a digital download code to receive last year’s Season Highlights Band Album and an invitation to the Pride’s Morgantown KeyNotes concert.
-WVU-
an/8/08/18
CONTACTS: Mary Esposito
WVU Foundation
304.284.4016; mesposito@wvuf.org
OR
Scott C. Tobias
WVU Director of Bands
304.293.3097; scott.tobias@mail.wvu.edu
Follow @WVUToday on Twitter.