Crossroads 
of 
America 
Scout Band 
Newsletter 
August 1999
 Band Set for Grand Rapids Weekend
 

It's not to late to join in the fun as the band travels to Grand Rapids, Michigan to participate in Byron Center Troop
250's 50th Anniversary. This troop found us on the Internet many months ago and we have made a commitment to
travel to their hometown and help them celebrate the completion of their first 50 years! We just recently learned that a
former exec from Indy is the Scout Executive in Grand Rapids -- Mike Sulgrove.

Bev Schrotenboer, the coordinator for the troop's anniversary has a great weekend planned for the band. She and the
entire town is thrilled we are making this trip! We will be leaving Camp Belzer on Friday July 30th AT 6:00 p.m. -- try
to arrive by 5:30. Bring items that you would take for a weekend camp out or lock-in. Also your sleeping bag, cot or air
mattress, uniform and instrument!

On Friday night we will stay in a school gym

and then have an early call for a pancake breakfast. We will then have a "practice parade" with Scouts from the area
carrying our flags. The Byron Center Festival Parade lines up at 9 am and starts at 10. After the parade we will have
lunch, then start the 50th anniversary ceremonies at 1 pm. At 2 PM we will present a concert for approximately an hour.
Following the concert, we will board the bus and travel to Grand Haven, Michigan where we will have a lock-in at the
YMCA. Arrangements have been made for swimming, possibly a trip to the beach at Lake Michigan and a fireworks
display at night.

Sunday morning August 1 we will get up and leave Grand Haven by 10:00 am (EDT) to return to Camp Belzer b y 3:00
PM. Cost for the weekend is $75.00 per person (bus, meals and lodging). Mr. Mike will be our driver! Any questions
call Bill at 542-8057.

State Fair Parade

As in previous years, we are making arrangements are being made to participate in the evening parade at the Indiana
State Fair. We are looking at Saturday August 21st. Marching members of the band will receive complimentary tickets
for admission to the Fair, additional tickets must be purchased for other family members. The parade lines up at 6:00
p.m. by the Administration Building inside the gate off of Fall Creek Road, north of 38th Street. Please call Bill to
reserve tickets and arrangements will be made to get them to you before the 21st.

Brian Heitzman Eagle Court of Honor

Brian Heitzman adds his name to the long list of distinguished scouts who are members of the band and have achieved
scouting's highest honor -- the rank of Eagle Scout! Brian's Eagle will be conferred at a Court of Honor on Sunday
August 8th at the Fishers United Methodist Church (east of I-69 on 116th Street). The band has been asked to play prior
to the ceremony which starts at 4:00 p.m. Please arrive by 3:30 p.m. to set up and be ready to play. For additional
information please contact Brian, Maurice or Carlene at 849-1864.

Annual Picnic

The band's annual picnic and elections for the BBBC Board will be Sunday August 22nd at Camp Belzer. We will gather
at 4:00 PM, play a concert from 4:30 - 5:30 and then eat from 5:30 - 6:30 with business meeting and awards following
dinner. Awards to be presented include FO Belzer, Harvey U Gill, Good Scout and attendance awards to ALL band
members. The BBBC will provide meat, buns and drink, we ask everyone else to bring one or two side dishes (salads,
veggies, desserts, etc.) and table service. Bring the whole family -- aunts, uncles, grandmas, grandpas and have fun!

Colts Season Starts

Due to the increase in the band's membership, and the available youth that are turning 16, and additional parent interest,
the band has taken a SECOND stand at the RCA Dome for the 1999 - 2000 season. We will be operating our regular
stand (142) as well as the Nacho Express stand (141) across the hall from us. We will need a MINIMUM of 18 people
16 years or older at each event! Remember that $25.00 goes into your personal account for each event worked. The
dress code is black pants, white shirt and dark, closed toed shoes. Those serving beer or collecting money must be
licensed -- see Sylvia for license application.

The first pre-season game is Saturday August 14th report time is 5:00 PM. The next pre-season game is Thursday
September 2nd with a report time of 5 PM. First home game is Sunday September 12th with a report time of 10 am.

To sign up for any of these or future events call Sylvia at 897-3809. We will have a list of ALL dome dates and times
available at the picnic for you to pick the ones that meet your schedule.

Preble County Pork Festival

The band has been invited and the Board has accepted an invitation to participate in the Preble County Pork Festival in
Eaton, Ohio on Saturday September 18th. Details will be available in the next newsletter. The organizers of this event
heard the band at the 500 race and feel it would be a great addition to have us participate in their festival. At this time we
will plan to have everyone car pool or provide their own transportation, unless there are enough to make it cost effective
to charter a bus for a day ($800.00)

For more information call Bill at 542-8057.

Clermont festival parade

The band has accepted an invitation to participate in the Clermont Festival Parade on Saturday September 25th. Clermont
is west of Indianapolis and the parade will be in the morning hours. More details will be available in the September
newsletter.

Kudos and Thanks for the Month
 

Nancy and Adam Thomas who prepared all of the additional music binders, covers and inserted the music into
plastic sleeves before we left on tour. We should now have all parts in the black binders. (It paid off during our rainy
concerts on tour)

Maurice Heitzman for constructing the third box to hold the music folders. These three boxes are a great asset and
make getting the music collected and distributed much easier.

Crystal Heitzman and Shawn Smock who did a great job as the elected youth leadership of the band this past year
and on tour. Both did a great job in communicating needs both to the adults and to the youth members of the band.

Dave and Jan Galloway who provided a tour scholarship to permit a youth member to enjoy our 1999 tour. Dave
also designed and provided the artwork for the tour shirts!

Pete Lindstrom who ensured that the equipment was ready and in working order when we left on tour.

Keith Hartzog for keeping the personal accounts current and providing updates to each individual whenever changes
are made.

Warren Central Music Department for allowing us to use a rack of their stands while on tour -- it certainly speeds
up the set up and take down at each concert site!

Everyone who went on tour with the band this year -- From reports within the band and outside the
band, everyone had a great time.

Chuck Dobbins, Scout Executive in Lacrosse, Wisconsin and former exec in Indy and supporter of the band for
recommending the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute and Chef Curtis of Bro'chette's in Birmingham. He didn't steer us
wrong -- both will be remembered for a long time.

New Brochure Available

Thanks to the efforts of Pete Lindstrom, and others, the band has 6,000+ new color brochures. If you would like to
have some available to pass out to your friends at school or Scout meetings see Bill. They will be available at events and
at the Annual Picnic.

1999 Southern Tour Wrap up

The 1999 tour that was completed a short week ago (as of this writing) will be one to be remembered for a long time to
come. Fifty members of our band enjoyed themselves for nine days of fast paced traveling, sight seeing and
performances. We survived the first few days of rain at our concerts, are we SURE it wasn't Elvis sending a message?
After all, the rains only started when we were playing Jailhouse Rock, or Love Me tender / Hound Dog! We even
got through The Thunderer and it didn't rain!

Thanks again to everyone who made the trip enjoyable, hopefully you will have fond memories of the experience. By
now those that attended the tour should have received an evaluation form. Please take the time to fill it out and return to
Bill Schofield at 5423 Mark lane, Indianapolis, IN 46226. We really do use the evaluations as plans are made for future
tours.

What a historic experience to play for the ceremonies of the 30th anniversary of Apollo 11! A few of you were lucky
enough to be positioned to shake the hands of the men who walked the moon as they left the stage! Our contact at
Kennedy stated that the President of NASA was watching us from the observation room above the Saturn V complex
and sent word that he was very impressed with our performance. We still are not sure what they meant when they said
they would see us next year?

Thanks to Ed Herran for making the contact to Boy's Life magazine -- watch for us in an upcoming issue!

Thanks also to Mike Carpenter "Mr. Mike" who provided us with another smooth and enjoyable ride! Mike has
expressed his enjoyment in working with us, and would have avoided going south with any other group -- but since it
was US he agreed to be our driver! Thanks Mike!

2000 Tour to Philmont

It was announced as we crossed back into Indiana where the band's tour will take them in the year 2000 to close out the
millennium and set a pace for 2017 when the band celebrates its 100th anniversary!

The tour in 2000 will take us to Philmont Scout Ranch for 2-3 days of touring and concert playing (at the Villa and in
Cimarron, New Mexico) -- we will NOT be taking a long trek, but you will experience what Philmont has to offer and
perhaps make plans to return with a troop or council trek later! When we leave Philmont we will head to Albuquerque,
New Mexico; Flagstaff, Arizona; Grand Canyon; Bryce and Zion National Parks in Utah and finish up in Salt Lake
City, Utah. Contacts have been made and reservations set with Philmont -- the challenge is now up to each of us. The
plan calls for us to FLY to Pueblo, Colorado and then bus the above itinerary and then FLY out of Salt Lake City. To
make this part happen we need to DOUBLE the size of the band. The first 150 applications will be assured a seat on the
plane / bus. If you don't think this number is possible -- do what some others have already done, talk to your troop
members and school band members. One of our members already has and has FIVE scouts ready to join the band this
fall! (This is after being home for two days). There are already 10 applications turned in for the 2000 tour.

The dates for the tour have been changed from what was announced on the bus and on the application. Dates for the
2000 tour are Saturday June 24 through Sunday July 2, 2000! The final cost has yet to be determined, but
anticipate that it will be around $450.00 - $500.00. This fee includes all transportation, meals, lodging, attractions and
in 2000 will include 5 shirts per participant automatically so you can have a fresh shirt each day. This sounds like a lot,
but if you set back $10 - $15 per week starting now, you will have the full amount before we leave. Also, don't forget
the opportunities at the dome ($25.00 x 16 events = $400.00 and then there will be pie sales and other fund raisers
throughout the year). If you plan and want to go -- you CAN make it happen. Submit an application and $50.00 deposit
as soon as possible. All fees must be settled by April 30, 2000.

August Calendar
 

September Dates
 

October Advance Dates