If you are paying attention to ongoing coverage of the Morton High School Marching Band's trip to Washington, D.C., to perform in President-elect Barack Obama's inauguration parade, you probably noticed how quick the fundraising unfolded, particularly in this largely Republican village.
If the presidential election was decided in Tazewell County, John McCain would be the newly elected president. Nearly 52% of Tazewell voters opted for McCain, while about 46% voted for Obama.
If that were the case, residents and businesses wouldn't be generously donating money to the Morton High School Band Boosters because the marching band probably wouldn't have been invited. McCain is from Arizona. MHS is one of seven bands from Illinois that will perform because Obama's home state is Illinois.
But, regardless of local political preference, residents and non-residents alike have stepped in, BIG TIME, to make sure the MHS marching band gets to be a part of history.
Even if you are not an Obama supporter, there must be some kind of appreciation for what will unfold when he is sworn in.
This is proof that, regardless of belief, we are all Americans. And, in Morton, residents and businesses support the decision of the American people. Now, they can be a part of history.
Obama won ... the band was invited to welcome him ... residents and businesses made sure the band will be there.
Awesome. It truly is.
In speaking with Ginnie Klopfenstein, who has headed the efforts to raise money for the trip, I noticed she feels the same way.
"It's amazing that so many people reached out," Klopfenstein said.
She said she was most shocked by a donation from who she described as an elderly woman who was just happy to see a small town south of Interstate 80 get to be a part of Illinois history.
Donations have come from as far as Georgia, she said.
Klopfenstein said she was confident the support would be there, I just don't think she expected it to be on such a large scale. But, it was, and she is probably one of the happiest members of the band boosters because of that.
She deserves it, as well as the students, the band director, the staff, the volunteers and the parents.
I know what a regular marching band season is like, but I have never experienced anything similar to what the MHS marching band has experienced, or will experience. For MHS, this is no regular marching band season.
