By Zach Hoyt

After a stay overnight in Newark, New Jersey, we (the band) all loaded up onto a bus to get make the 4 hour bus ride to Fairfax, Virginia. Once in Fairfax, we went to the Lord of Life Lutheran Church where we held our final rehearsal before the parade. As a senior, this was also my final practice as a student at Colony High School, and I am pleased with the outcome.

Kait helps unpack the bus

Final rehearsal

The Band Practice

After unpacking the gear, we practiced for 2 hours as hard as we ever have, marching laps through the church's parking lot. After practice, we met with members of the church's youth group, mingling and socializing until dinner was served.

Dinner at the churchJanuary 18, 2009

After dinner, we left, said goodbye to our new friends, and traveled onward to the Potomac Mills Best Western, where we quickly discovered that we were not the only band in the building.

Shortly after arrival at the hotel, we met members of a band and choir from Sandwich, Illinois, also visiting DC for the Inaugural celebration. They were very enthusiastic to meet people from Alaska, and were full of questions about our great state.

As the evening moved on, we were issued our uniforms and new travel shirts before we began to head to bed.

Tomorrow we will make the short trip to DC, where we will visit the Holocaust Museum and the Smithsonian before we begin to make our final preparations for the Inaugural Parade.

-Zach Hoyt