Some interesting groups that will march in the Inaugural Parade

[samanthajane13]

I was looking for Katey's old school, Mount Saint Mary's, whose marching band is going to be there, and didn't find them on the "featured" list, but I found some really unique groups, and thought I'd share their stories...


Marching On: Suurimmaanitchuat Eskimo Dance Group

In this series, we profile the incredible talent that will be marching in the 56th Inaugural Parade on January 20th, 2009.

Many groups marching in the 56th Inaugural Parade will travel just a couple stops on the Washington, D.C. Metro to arrive at the US Capitol for the start of the event. But for others, the trip won’t be quite so easy: the 22 members of the Suurimmaanitchuat Eskimo Dance Group will have to trek well over 5,000 miles from the northern coast of Alaska to our nation’s capital on the north bank of the Potomac River.

Founded in 1990, the Suurimmaanitchuat group hails from the “Top of the World,“ Barrow, Alaska. They specialize in traditional songs passed down from community Elders, but also perform original modern songs, including an Elvis Presley-inspired dance. Their vibrant dance performances are known for colorful Inupiat costumes, Eskimo drumming and energetic singing.

The Suurimmaanitchuats dance for various community organizations across Alaska to build relationships between Inupiat culture and indigenous groups. Almost half the group’s members are retired members of regional borough government. The leader of the group, Warren, is 84 years old, while the youngest member is just six.

To raise money, the group has sold Alaskan hunting implements like harpoons and ulus (an Eskimo knife), as well as cakes, pies, and other food. They have written letters to local and state businesses, non-profits, oil companies, state government, and statewide foundations appealing for support.

The Eskimos also funded their lengthy trip with a combination of small local donations and a large contribution from the Arctic Slope Regional Corporation.

Says Rex, one of the groups leaders,

We are very honored to have been selected and our tribal members are extremely proud. There have been over a thousand people donating one dollar here, one dollar there. We are very humbled by all the ordinary people donating to ensure we get to the parade.

The Inaugural Parade won’t be the first time in the national spotlight for the Suurimmaanitchuat Eskimo Dance Group. They were included in the opening of The Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian in 2004. In addition, the group, which has a long tradition of whaling, traveled to China to discuss commercial whaling issues. All this on top of performances across Alaska, including the Alaska Federation of Natives Convention, in Anchorage, Bethel’s Camai’ Festival, the Kotzebue Trade Fair, and the Barrow-based Kivgiq Messenger Feast.


Marching On: Bonnie Brae Knights

In this series, we profile the incredible talent that will be marching in the 56th Inaugural Parade on January 20th, 2009.

They may not be the biggest and they may not be the oldest, but the twelve marching drummers of the Bonnie Brae Knights may certainly be the loudest of the groups selected to perform in the 56th Inaugural Parade following the swearing-in of President-elect Obama on January 20th.

Hailing from northern New Jersey, the Knights have been able to drum up enough money to pay for both their trip to Washington and brand new uniforms through donations that follow their performances and local media coverage. The Knights are excited to be marching in the Inaugural Parade, having previously played at conferences for non-profits and been annual performers at a hospital fundraiser.

The drummers attend the Bonnie Brae treatment center, which takes in and teaches troubled youth. The center, founded in 1916, works to help them assert their potential and maximize the skills necessary to move ahead in the world. One component of the kids’ education is music, specifically drumming.

In the words of Bill, one of the Knights’ staff advisors,

The Knights deliver a powerful message of hope and dreams come true to all children in foster care, group homes, or residential programs. Our drummers arrive with a long laundry list of negative labels and leave with a positive sense of their self-worth.

The Knights are a living testament to the power of hard work and community service to change the course of our fellow Americans’ lives for the better. As they march down Pennsylvania Avenue, from the Capitol to the White House, these drumming young New Jerseyans will remind President-elect Obama and the millions of viewers on television why we must continue to invest in those children that have the least.

Marching On: The “World Famous” Lawn Rangers

In this series, we’ll profile the incredible talent that will be marching in the 56th Inaugural Parade on January 20th, 2009.

Amid the French horns and cymbals and soaring batons of the 56th Inaugural Parade, a spunky corps of lawn mower-pushing Illini will plow along the route from the Capitol to the White House.

The World Famous Lawn Rangers, hailing from “Amazing” Arcola, Illinois, are one of the many bands, troupes, and ensembles who have been invited to perform in the parade following the swearing-in of President-elect Barack Obama and Vice President-elect Joe Biden on January 20.

The precision lawn mower drill team—whose motto is “You’re only young once but you can always be immature”—features members from 21 to 80 years old who push whimsically decorated mowers. Their machines, adorned with everything from stuffed beavers and bowling balls to cowboy hats and lounge chairs, complement their muted canvas waist pouches and black opera eye masks.

Says Pat, one of the Lawn Rangers:

I have been asked many times as to why I think we were selected over the almost 1400 other groups who applied for this position. I can only think that we are known for having a good time and showing people how to have a good time with us, and the Inaugural Committee must think our services are needed. It is a definite American trait—the ability to laugh at ourselves—which may be needed now more than ever. Or it could be that we were the only lawn mower drill team to apply.

Says Tony, another Ranger:

Barack Obama will bring to the White House a combination of leadership and vision found but once in a generation, and I think he demonstrated that vision when he chose to invite the World Famous Lawn Rangers of Amazing Arcola to march in the 2009 Inaugural Parade.

The Lawn Rangers were founded 28 years ago, when 13 Arcola residents decided to get involved in the Famous Broom Corn Festival Parade. They arrived at the conclusion that their skills would be best used driving lawn mowers and waving brooms. After a successful debut, they became regulars on the Midwest festival and parade circuit.

In 2003, President-elect Obama marched with the Lawn Rangers in the Chicago St. Patrick’s Day parade.


http://www.pic2009.org/parade

[samanthajane13]

Marching On: The Azalea Trail Maids

In this series, we’ll profile the incredible talent that will be marching in the 56th Inaugural Parade on January 20th, 2009.

Every time Sarah puts on her peach organza hoop dress, it reminds her of where she’s from.

Mobile, Alabama, the high school senior will say with a Southern lilt. She’s proud of her Southern heritage and wants to share it with as many out-of-towners as possible. That’s why she first interviewed last year to be on the Azalea Trail Maids court that will be marching in the 56th Inaugural Parade.

The 50 Trail Maids travel all over the country representing the city of Mobile – its rich past and of course, abounding hospitality. Festooned in intricately ruffled dresses with skirts measuring five-feet in diameter, Azalea Trail Maids are sometimes mistaken for Disney princesses. It breaks little girls’ hearts, Sarah says, when she tells them she’s not.

The dresses—costing anywhere from $3,000 - $6,000—are patterned after the blossoming azaleas that line the streets of Mobile every spring. People come from all over to walk the Azalea Trail, which was created in the 1920s to draw tourists to the city.

By the late 1940s, the Maids had appeared to greet the tourists and export the experience of strolling down the Azalea-lined streets to those who couldn’t make it to the city. The Maids have participated in parades and festivals across the country, including the 2004 Inaugural Parade.

Since they weren’t expecting to be chosen for another inaugural parade, they’ve been scrambling to raise money for the trip. Andy, who oversees the court, says the girls have been doing everything they can think of to cover their expenses, including bagging groceries for tips, standing on busy streets with tin cups and selling donuts. Perhaps the most creative idea has been a “Jeans Day” where students pay $5 to wear jeans to school instead of their uniforms.

All their efforts are worth it, Sarah says, for the honor of walking in the Inaugural Parade.

Marching On: Special Olympics

In this series, we’ll profile the incredible talent that will be marching in the 56th Inaugural Parade on January 20th, 2009.

The Presidential Inaugural Committee today extended an invitation to Special Olympics athletes, volunteers, and supporters to march in the 56th Inaugural Parade. Special Olympics was one of over 1,300 organizations to apply for a spot in the parade.

On January 20th, thousands of people from across the country will walk down Pennsylvania Avenue from the Capitol to the White House. The group from Special Olympics will be representing an organization that serves over 2.5 million people with intellectual disabilities in over 180 countries across the world.

Marching On: NASA

In this series, we’ll profile the incredible talent that will be marching in the 56th Inaugural Parade on January 20th, 2009.

In keeping with its commitment to hold inaugural events that celebrate our common values and reflect the diversity and history of our great nation, we here at the President Inaugural Committee have invited the National Aeronautics and Space Administration to march in the 56th Inaugural Parade. Members of NASA will join representatives from across the country and our Armed Forces in the historic parade down Pennsylvania Avenue following President-elect Obama’s swearing-in ceremony on the steps of the Capitol.

President Obama said:

I am honored to invite these talented groups and individuals to participate in the Inaugural Parade. These organizations embody the best of our nation’s history, diversity and commitment to service. Vice President-elect Biden and I are proud to have them join us in the parade.

Congress enacted the National Aeronautics and Space Act of 1958 to provide research into flight within and outside Earth’s atmosphere and to ensure the United States conducts its activities in space for peaceful purposes and for the benefit of humanity. More than 50 years later, NASA continues to live up to that mandate and the American tradition of pioneering and expanding the realm of what is possible through space exploration, scientific discovery, and aeronautics research.

The STS-126 Endeavour crew completed a 16-day journey of more than 6.6 million miles. Chris Ferguson commanded the flight and was joined by Pilot Eric Boe and Mission Specialists Donald Pettit, Steve Bowen, Heidemarie Stefanyshyn-Piper, Shane Kimbrough and Sandra Magnus. Magnus remained aboard the Station, replacing Expedition 18 Flight Engineer Greg Chamitoff, who returned to Earth on Endeavour after more than five months on the station.

The mission featured important repair work and prepared the International Space Station to house six crew members on long-duration missions beginning next year. The new station equipment includes a water recovery system, additional sleeping quarters, a second toilet and an exercise device. During four spacewalks, the crew serviced the station’s two Solar Alpha Rotary Joints, which allow its solar arrays to track the sun, and installed new hardware that will support future assembly missions. STS-126 was the 124th space shuttle mission, the 22nd flight for Endeavour and the 27th shuttle visit to the station.

In addition to the Endeavor crew, the NASA contingent will include a small pressurized rover. That vehicle is one concept for a new generation of lunar rovers that astronauts will take with them when they return to the moon by 2020. The rovers are being tested at sites around the country that have terrain similar to what might be encountered on the moon. The rover could provide astronauts’ main mode of transportation on the moon and would allow them the flexibility to work inside it without the restrictions imposed by spacesuits. The adaptable vehicle features wheels that enable “crab style” movements to help the vehicle maneuver through difficult spots, and a cantilevered cockpit to enhance the drivers’ visibility of the terrain ahead. Early concepts also provide an exercise ergometer that allows crews to exercise and charge the vehicle’s batteries simultaneously.

A list of the NASA personnel that will accompany the rover is still in formation.