Introduction | Dean's Diary | Emma's Diary | Photo Gallery | Calgary Links Canada 2000 Report - Trip Diary This page contains a day to day diary of our trip to Canada that was written by myself (Dean Ashby) especially for the web site. I've tried to keep it as a general band diary detailing the events that the band took part in as opposed to a personal diary detailing what I did outside of band functions.
Wednesday 5th July
At 06:30 BST the band met at Ken Jones' car park ready to be picked up by the coach to Manchester Airport. Our plane from Manchester to Calgary took off shortly after 11:15 BST and stopped briefly to refuel in Keflavik, Iceland. The flight number was Canada 3000 CMM738 and the plane was a Boeing 757. 
We arrived at Calgary International Airport at approximately 3:30 MST and travelled to Western Canada High School in Southwest Calgary via yellow school busses provided by Southland, who provided transport for the World Show Band Championships and the Stampede. It was on this bus journey where we first met Marion - our guide for the entire trip. We were given a guided tour and welcome talk during the journey to the school Once we arrived at the school, we unloaded our instruments and luggage from the busses and carried them to our rooms on the third floor. The rest of Wednesday was free time to have an initial look around Calgary.
Thursday 6th July Most of Thursday morning was free time, but in the afternoon we had a joint rehearsal with the United Scout and Guide Bands of Greater Manchester and Northampton Scout and Guide Band. This took place in the rear car park of the school and also in the dining hall. The purpose of this rehearsal was to allow the bands to practice together ready for the parade the following morning where the three bands will be playing as a massed band.
Friday 7th July On Friday morning, we played in the 2000 Calgary Stampede Opening Parade with the Manchester and Northampton Scout and Guide Bands. We were billed as the "Massed Scout and Guide Bands of the United Kingdom". Our mention in the program read as follows: Scout bands from Greater Manchester, Northampton and Halesowen have combined for this entry. Under the respective direction of Dennis Yarwood, Sue Knight and Paul Wong, these award winning bands will play both traditional and popular music.
This parade was not like any parade we have done back in the United Kingdom - it was absolutely amazing. The streets were lined with thousands of people and tiered seating was installed especially for the parade. Stampede officials told us that there was over 250,000 people in the streets watching the parade. It took our band just under an hour and a half to complete the parade and there were several judging and TV camera points throughout the route where we were encouraged to play popular tunes. The parade had 154 different participants, which included bands and floats from all over the world. The actual parade lasted for two and a half hours.  | 
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After the parade we had some spare time to rest from the parade and have a look around Calgary. In the afternoon we had a barbecue and campfire singsong with the Manchester and Northampton Scout and Guide Bands and local Scouts and Guides from Calgary. This event was organised by Marion who is a guider herself, and she was presented with a special Canada 2000 UK neckerchief.   
At the barbecue we had the opportunity to swap badges with the local scouts and guides.
Saturday 8th July On Saturday 8th July, the band members, parents, and everyone else who travelled to Canada with us went on an excursion to Banff National Park at the base of the Rocky Mountains. Our first visit was to the beautiful Lake Louise, which has got to be one of the most breathtaking views in the whole of Canada. The photographs in the photo gallery could not possibly do this view justice. Our next stop was the Lake Louise Sightseeing Gondola rides to the top of the mountains. Mountain Gondolas are enclosed chair lifts that take you to the top of the mountains. The view from the top of the Lake Louise Gondolas was absolutely amazing. You could look right over the mountains and see Lake Louise down in the valley. 
After a brief look in the shops at the bottom of the Gondolas, we moved on to Banff. Some people went for a bathe in the hot springs, while others went shopping down in Banff town centre, and others went for a ride up the Sulphur Mountain Gondola.
Sunday 9th July On Sunday morning, we had a rehearsal on the rear car park of the school to prepare us for the World Show Band Championships opening ceremony. During this rehearsal we practised the two pieces that would be played as a 2000 member-strong massed band. These pieces were Olympic Reflections (arranged especially for the World Association of Marching Show Bands) and Ode To Joy. After the brief rehearsal at the school, we travelled in the yellow school buses to the Saddledome where we had a full opening ceremony rehearsal with the other bands in preparation for the evening's ceremony. This was the first chance that most of the band had to see inside the Saddledome. After two full run through rehearsals, we had our first look around Stampede Park. Finally, in the evening we took part in the opening ceremony, and played Ode To Joy and Olympic Reflections with all of the other bands that took part in the ceremony.
Monday 10th July We had a rehearsal early on Monday morning on the school playing fields so that we could blow through and march through our contest routine. This was in preparation for our performance in the World Show Band Championships at the Saddledome in the early afternoon. The practice did not go wonderfully well, which is usually a good sign, as we like to hit our peak on the contest arena. Halfway through our rehearsal we got drowned out by the most amazing band - the Royal Tonga Police Band. We all sat down and watched their show, and it was not like any show we had seen before. We cheered at the end of their display, and they then watched the last rehearsal of our display and returned the compliment. Straight after our rehearsal we travelled down to the Saddledome in the yellow bus ready to take part in the competition. We marched on to the arena to a massive applause, and then pulled off an excellent performance of our 2000 contest routine. This consists of: Real audio samples of our performance in Canada will be online over the next few months. Not only did we receive a round of applause for each piece of music we played, but also for each shape that we formed in the Saddledome arena, as the audience was watching the display from quite high up. We finished our routine and left the arena to a standing ovation. The score we achieved for our display was 80.9%, which achieved us a silver award! After our performance in the competition, we had a look around the Stampede to see what it was all about, and in the evening, we went to watch the Chuckwaggon Racing, which turned out to be an excellent experience and a good night's entertainment. 
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Tuesday 11th July Our day started on Tuesday morning with a job at the Chinook Rest Home. This job involved a full marching performance of our year 2000 contest routine, a short break where we had drinks to cool us down due to the hot weather, a chat with the residents and staff of Chinook, and finally a static performance. The residents seemed to really enjoy our band's music, so we provided them with a good morning's entertainment. On Tuesday afternoon a few of our band members acted as 'roadies' for Hessle High School Drum Corps, as they needed some extra hands to carry their equipment on to the arena at the Saddledome. We cheered them on, and watched their display, which was influenced by Disney's Aladdin. They achieved a very good score, and as they were the highest-scoring UK band, they progressed to the finals, so we offered to help them out again on the following day. The rest of Tuesday was free time for band members to do whatever they wanted.
Wednesday 12th July Wednesday morning provided us with free time to do whatever we wanted to do such as having a look around Downtown Calgary, visiting the Stampede, etc. Some band members and parents went on a second trip to Banff while others had a trip to the zoo. In the afternoon, some of the remaining band members helped out with carrying Hessle High's instruments onto the arena again, for their performance in the finals. Our band members were given a choice of whether or not they wanted to take part in the closing ceremony. The ones that decided to come along joined the ranks of Northampton Scout & Guide Band to play Ode To Joy as a part of the massed band in the evening's closing ceremony.
Thursday 13th July On Thursday morning, the band had two Stampede Caravan Breakfast performances. A caravan breakfast is basically a free pancake and sausage breakfast that the general public can eat while listening to performances from different bands. Our first performance of the morning was at the Mount Royal Shopping Mall, and the second was at the Southland Leisure Centre. The band played very well at both locations. The rest of the day was free for band members to do whatever they chose to do. Most of the band went for a farewell drink and meal in the evening, as it was the last evening that the band would spend in Calgary. I was ill, so I had an early night instead.
Friday 14th July/Saturday 15th July Friday the 14th of July was our last day in Calgary, and the morning was spent re-packing our instruments and luggage, ready for our 23:55 MST flight. We also took part in a flag lowering ceremony with the other Scout and Guide bands that were staying at the same school as us. Once everything was packed away, the rest of the day until 19:30 was free for everyone to do their own thing. Most people went for a final look around the town centre to do some souvenir shopping. I went for a meal in the revolving restaurant at the top of the Calgary Tower. After meeting back at the school at 19:30, we loaded the buses up and made our way to Calgary International Airport for our flight home. The flight was due to depart at 23:55 MST, but left slightly later due to a seating mix up. Our friends from Hessle High School Drum Corps were on the same flight. The plane was a Canada 3000 Airbus A330-200, which is a three-aisle aircraft and the flight number was CMM737. We landed at Manchester Airport at 14:45 BST in the afternoon on Saturday and travelled back down to our hometown Halesowen by coach with a Silver award from the World Show Band Championships in Calgary, Canada. Canada was a beautiful country and all of the local people were great and made us very welcome. This helped make the trip a once in a lifetime experience that all of the band members will remember fondly and proudly for the rest of their lives.
This Page Last Revised 15/02/2005 - Designed Jack Higgs. Maintained by Jack Higgs | 
