ELLY GRIMM
• Leader & Times
Those looking to support local young musicians will have just that chance later this month.
The 'That' Liberal Band Fish Fry will be Friday, March 27 at the Seward County Activity Center, with dinner being served from 5 to 7:30 p.m., and takeout and dine-in options will be available for people. Tickets are $15 apiece and can be purchased from any band student, or people can reach out to band directors Andrew Johnson and Ben Hogan. And for those unable to purchase their tickets ahead of time, they will be available at the door that evening. The menu will include fried fish, fried chicken, hush puppies, veggies and a wide variety of other sides, and there will be multiple desserts for sale.
For the most part, Johnson said the event will remain the same for this year.
“There's not really too much for this year that will be super new – we're still going to have the jazz band playing while everyone eats and the meal itself will remain the same,” Johnson said. “We'll also have some of our soloists and small ensembles that are going to contest this year. They'll do a little performing as well in order to give the jazz band a bit of a face break every now and then, and we also definitely want those groups to shine a little bit too.”
Johnson said he hopes to see a lot of support for this year’s fish fry.
“We could use the support. Costs are going up with everything, which is part of the reason the ticket costs went up, because food prices are more expensive than ever,” Johnson said. “Our general expenses are going up as well – we have to clean our uniforms, we have to replace old and broken equipment and we have to fix instruments. We also feed the students whenever we travel. There are so many expenses when it comes to running a band of the size, so every bit people can help out is much appreciated. And if you want to support in other ways, you can donate desserts. You can buy a 24-pack of soda and donate that for the evening or something else. There are multiple ways people in the community can show their support, but to get the most out of what you're doing, buying a ticket’s the way to go. And especially if you buy a ticket from the student, most of that money goes to that student and their fees, whether it’s for equipment or an upcoming trip, We have the 'That' Liberal Band Booster Club, they're actually the ones responsible for putting on the fish fry and it's their baby, so the money actually goes to them, and then they make a donation back to the band.”
Johnson added the students are excited for this year’s event.
“They enjoy working it, and they like seeing the people they sold their ticket to,” Johnson said. “Or, they'll see a friend of a friend who didn't realize they knew somebody else in the band program. It's just a really good bonding opportunity, and within the community, and it's all, it's all going towards a great cause. Events like this are great because the students can actually see the audience members' faces and see who all is supporting them – during concerts, the lights are all bright and they can't fully see everyone from the stage, but with this fish fry, they can see the people supporting them, and I think that’s really neat. It takes a village to run this program, and it takes a village to run the fish fry. This is one of those things where the students get put to work, but it's over before they know it because they're having a good time and spending time with their fellow band students.”
Johnson said it has been fun helping be part of such a big event every year.
“I have more of a hands-off role because the Boosters are the ones who do the majority of the work. We all meet and talk about some of the logistical and financial stuff to make sure everyone's on the same page as far as what's needed, but it's really the Boosters' event for the most part. It's nice on my end since I can go around and thank people for showing their support and all of that, but I have to give credit to the Boosters because they do such a great job with everything they do,” Johnson said. “I remember when I took over as director, we did see a bit of a change in the leadership of the booster club, and luckily, I'd been around the program enough to know how things kind of go behind the scenes. We also had Ben [Hogan] here, and he’d had some experience with this already. We kind of had to train up the booster leadership a little bit, and once they figured out how things work and how to go about soliciting donations from local businesses and all of that, it became its own monster. It’s gotten to the point now where they come to me and they say, ‘This is when we're thinking of doing the fish fry,’ and I basically say, ‘Cool, let's do it.’ These booster parents are just incredible, especially the leadership, the officers that are on their executive board are real go-getters.”
Johnson said he was very pleased with last year’s event.
“If I remember correctly, the numbers were larger last year, and we like to see that kind of trend,” Johnson said. “I don't know if I've seen as many tickets moved so far, because we do have our trip coming up on spring break, and that's kind of the big thing that's on everyone’s minds right now, but I think after all of that, they'll push pretty hard. I hope we have a big turnout and have a bunch of people coming through who already have their tickets purchased from a band student.”
Overall, Johnson said, he is looking forward to that evening.
“Come out and support us – you'll have some great food, you'll hear some great music and be around some very talented young musicians, and it's going to be a great evening for everyone,” Johnson said. “We really hope to see a big turnout that night, the students are really excited for this event and they can't wait to show off what they've been working on, and the money goes directly to the students in the band, so it's a great investment.”
