By Chelsea Blair
The Greenbrier East High School Spartan Marching Band is excited to announce they have been invited to attend the Annual Pearl Harbor Remembrance Parade in December 2025 in Hawaii. The band will represent the state and the battleship USS West Virginia in the parade.
The Annual Pearl Harbor Memorial Parade will be held on Dec. 7 in remembrance of those whose service and sacrifice preserved freedom and liberty for our country. According to their website, the parade is an important reminder of the fateful day of the attack on Pearl Harbor while providing hope that from conflict and the devastation of the war, peace and friendship can occur. The parade will also feature the WW1180 Pearl Harbor Massed Band and Choir in the official opening ceremony.
The band works extremely hard, sometimes practicing seven days a week, to achieve their goals. The band director, principal and band boosters started a fundraiser to help reach their goal of $250,000 needed to make the trip possible.
Band Director Jim Allder said this invitation is a huge honor, and that the band has attended this event once before in 2001 for the 70th anniversary of the Pearl Harbor attack. He said that while $250,000 is a lot of money, the life experience for the band students experiencing the trip makes it well worth it. An anonymous donor has already contributed a lump sum to kickstart the fundraising, and the band is seeking support not just from Greenbrier County, but from around the state to make the trip a reality.
If you would like to donate to the band for their trip you can find more information on the Greenbrier East Band’s Facebook page. You can also mail donations to P.O. Box 1336 Lewisburg, WV 24901, or send donations via CashApp at $gehsbandboosters, PayPal at GEHSMusicBoosters and Venmo at gehsbandboosters. When sending donations, please indicate that your donation is specifically for the trip to Hawaii, as the band gets donations for a variety of occasions.
