A good turnout at the JL Crowe Band fundraiser will be music to the ears of many high schoolers learning to play an instrument.
The Kinsmen Club of Trail is hosting the JL Crowe Band Expo & Vendor Market on Saturday (Nov. 4) from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. in the high school.(located to the right of hospital hill at 1300 Frances Moran Road)
The Trail music program is about community, says Mae Kruger, president of the Kinsmen Club of Trail.
“Last year, we discovered that the JL Crowe Band program was active but in need,” Kruger told the Trail Times.
“They were in need of funding for new instruments and also to repair the instruments they currently have as they are aging,” she added.
“The band program also needs funding to offset the costs of band travel to symposiums and events and would love to have a uniform to provide a unified look for the members.”
Music will be highlighted throughout the event with sets by the JL Crowe Band and local musicians, as well as entertaining skits and a demonstration of talent by the Trail Sea Cadets.
Eighteen local vendors will be on site selling unique gift ideas. Admission is $1, at the door.
“Through the process of determining how to assist the JL Crowe Band program, we discovered that Trail has a fantastic music program that we never knew about,” said Kruger, originally from the Okanagan.
“This is our first attempt at what we hope will become a successful fundraiser and awareness generator.”
Crowe music director Rita Cain says the program currently has 75 students.
“That’s a Grade 8-12 concert band, a Grade 9 band class and two jazz bands,” Cain said. “The Grade 8 students (five) are keen students who are learning to play very quickly with the older students. We also only have one Grade 12 student, which really shows how much the band is growing!”
Background of Kin Canada and the Kinsmen Club of Trail:
• Trail Kinsmen were active from 1948 until 1988, when the group disbanded.
• In 2005 the Kinsmen Club of Trail was re-chartered and members are actively the mission to “Serve the Community’s Greatest Needs”
• Kin Canada is an all-Canadian service organization made up of dedicated volunteers who serve their community’s greatest need through hosting and sponsoring events and community service projects. The Kinsmen Club of Trail is a member of Kin Canada.
• Since its founding, Kin, Kinsmen and Kinette clubs across Canada have contributed more than $1 billion to Canadian communities and disaster relief programs beyond the country’s borders.
