Disney's Magic Kingdom to welcome Lewis County (West Virginia) High School band

“It’s not a competition,” Band Director Allen Heath said. “We’ll parade through the Magic Kingdom at 5:45 p.m. on April 19. We’ll play ‘Dancing Queen,’ which is our regular parade tune. We rehearse during class.”

Heath said about 90 students will participate. Band staff and parents will also attend.

“This trip used to happen once every four years. We were supposed to go the year (during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic), but we didn’t,” he said. “The last time we went to Disney, I was a full-time substitute in 2016. I believe that year we did a parade in Epcot.

“It gives a lot of kids the opportunity to go out of state. Disney is the most magical piece on Earth, and many of the kids haven’t seen the beach.”

Students will leave after school April 17.

This will be Band Boosters President Mary Skinner’s first trip to Disney. She is mother of Junior Flutist Roslyn and said the trip “will be really exciting.”

“We did a lot of fundraising,” Skinner said, “but we couldn’t have a better group of boosters. We all work really well together; it’s an excellent group and we’ve actually had a lot of fun. We’re pretty well prepared.”

Ideas generated by the fundraising committee included bake sales (such as during the annual Miracle on Main Street in downtown Weston), selling concessions during school events or raffles, mileage sponsorship and a sold-out bingo event in February. There were 200 band supporters at the bingo, held within the Inn at Plantation in Jane Lew.

“Bingo always sells out quick. It’s a big deal,” Skinner said. “We usually hold bingo twice per year. The kids could only touch certain things but they did really good helping take food orders; they were really involved.”

Todra Hall, a senior flutist, said she has helped in concession stands at high school basketball games to help fundraise for the trip.

Fundraisers began in August, according to Heath.

“The price of this trip is a lot more expensive than was in 2020,” he said. “There were more fundraisers for the kids.”

Hall said the band trip is an “amazing” way to end her senior year.

“With everything going in, it’s nice to have a last hurrah,” Hall said.

This school year’s assistant section leader, Hall was accepted into Glenville State University’s music education program. She also plans to play flute in the university marching band.

Skinner was also the boosters president during the 2022-23 school year and hopes to also during Roslyn’s senior year.

“I absolutely love it,” Mary Skinner said.

A small trip is also proposed for spring 2026. The band also traveled to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland last year.