Pennsbury band headed to Hong Kong

BUCKS COUNTY, Pa. - March 20, 2008 Pennsbury High East's band tuned up today before their plane ride to Hong Kong tomorrow.

They're taking a 10-day tour of the city, but it's not all fun and games.

The band will perform five times during their stay, with one of those performances in a parade in Hong Kong Disneyland.

"It's going to be fun walking down Main Street and be the first band ever to be in Hong Kong for Disneyland," junior Carrie Oechsle said.

"All the kids in the line are very excited. Everybody's putting in the extra time we need to make sure all the parts line up," senior Patrick Bailey said.

Pennsbury High School is unofficially known as the Mickey Mouse Band. With this trip to Hong Kong, they will complete their tour of all the Disneylands in the world.

Many of the students are especially excited about a planned halftime show performance at an international rugby match.

"I'm most excited to play in Hong Kong stadium because of how massive it is and the amount of people who'll be hearing us play for them," senior Zach Drummond said.

"It's rewarding, in my senior year, to be going to a completely different country," senior Katie Alleva said.

"It's going to be nerve-wracking, but a lot of fun. I can't wait," senior Caitlin Petty said.

A 10-day trip to Hong Kong is expensive, so all the kids got involved with fundraising with jobs at CVS, Chic-Fil-A, and other places.

As they step off toward China, they know all the hard work has been worth it.

"With the amount of work we put in, the drive each kid has, the amount of work our directors do every day, is the exact reason why we've been selected and why we are where we are today," Drummond said.