Lancer Music Notes

Watch all of the LHS videos of the fall 2008 season by clicking here.

A High Quality version of this video can be seen @

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=duz3Wqqn3Cs 

As always all band videos available @ www.youtube.com/onenorwaystreet

Tags: video west boylston

Tags: video parade allenstown

Here is a link to the same video with less close ups and more formation shots.  Video

Tags: Band Camp

Tags: old home days parade, Parade, video

Tags: China Chengde temple

Here is another video to wet your appetite!  Hope to have the entire collection of videos done soon.

Tags: Chengde video china

Julie and I were enjoying lunch on the second day of the trip. Erica L and Rebecca W sat down beside us, and we noticed that they began “reviewing” what was on their plates, even taking the time to write down their thoughts. It turned out that they keeping track of everything that they ate, even taking a photo of each meal. Ah-ha! An article in the making! Erica and Rebecca were kind enough to endulge the Photoguy, and wrote this article for LancerMusicNotes.org. Thanks a lot, girls, for the wonderful and insightful review (and photos)! — Photoguy

Many people came to China believing that they would have a hard time finding food they wanted to try, much less pronounce.  There was even the idea that we would lose weight over our 9 day stay.  After our first few meals in China, it is clear that it is definitely more likely to actually gain weight.  We have had an adventure trying new foods and experiencing new ways to eat them.

At the first meal, no one was quite sure what we were eating.  In fact, neither were the waiters.  I had later found out that the orange meat I had thought was chicken was actually cow’s stomach; definitely the most exotic thing we’ve found.  We also had fried pizza, cylindrical doughy substances, and a green less salad.  In fact, the only food we could recognize was watermelon. 

Breakfast at the Loong Palace Hotel was beyond all of our expectations in regards to breakfast foods in China. After the dinner the night before, our hopes weren’t too high. When we walked down to breakfast, the waiters showed us to our seats and actually pulled them out for us. They served us tea and coffee and let us venture to the buffet. What we found was a combination of both traditional Chinese and American breakfast foods. We sat down in our seats with plates filled with amazing noodles, white rice, steamed vegetables, chicken filled rolls, watermelon, croissants, fruit danishes, toast, and cereal with whole milk. We enjoyed the whole meal using chopsticks.  We even used them for the watermelon, which was a difficult obstacle to overcome.

Lunch in Beijing was becoming a very predictable meal, and it was becoming evident that we were a large group to accommodate. For the most part, our lunch diet consisted of rice, watermelon, a chicken (usually orange) dish, a beef and or pork dish, “green vegetables”, and a variety soups. Any soup you could think of between “The Onion Soup of the French”, to jellyfish.

Also, since it was only safe to drink the Wahaha bottles, every meal had a large bottle of sprite and coke.

For the select few on the first flight to Shanghai, the first meal was expected to be the first experience with real Chinese food, however, we had Kentucky Fried Chicken. It was delivered to us by bike, in the middle of a square. We got many looks from the locals.

The dinners, unlike the lunches, had a bit of variety. They ranged from the first dinner filled with questionable foods, to the most wonderful dining experience at the Kerry Center Hotel. The first dinner was the one previously mentioned that had consisted of foods the waiters didn’t know, and cows stomach. The second night was a dramatically different experience. We dined at the Kerry Center Hotel for a “Welcome to Beijing” dinner. There were a lot of recognizable foods such as watermelon, wonderful spring rolls, rice, mini hamburgers, beef with veggies and chicken.

There was also a fruit that none of us had seen before. It was a rather delicious fruit, similar to kiwi, called dragon fruit. There was also a desert of your choice between a gelato and a sorbet sundae. It was scrumptious.

The following dinner was a dining experience unique to China. We had a Peking duck dinner. We were served a variety of appetizers before the main dish was brought out. The appetizers consisted of spring rolls, a few small beef and pork dishes, and some crispy orange duck.

After a few of the dishes were tried, they brought out the Peking duck. A waitress came over and showed us how to put it together. She took a hot wrap and placed a spicy sauce on it, followed by green vegetables and then the duck. Only one person at our table was adventurous enough to try it.

They said it was very delicious and similar to chicken.

The food we experienced in China varied according to where we ate, quality wise that is. Most preferred Beijing meals to those in Chengde. Although the types of food did not differ greatly, all of the dining experiences were unique and we had a good time!

The following was posted as a comment to the article “A Follower’s perspective, “There’s no place like home”“. I thought that everyone would like to read it as an article. Thanks, Scott, for the news, and CONGRATS to Melissa! — Admin

What do you do for an encore after nine days in China with the LHS Lancers Marching Band, including performing at one one the World’s greatest landmarks? If you’re Melissa Lever, you enter the Rockingham County 4H Horse Show, of course!

At the end of her 38 Hour journey back from Beijing, I (Dad) picked her up at the LHS parking lot at 10:00 AM Saturday June 28 and brought her directly to the Deerfield Fairgrounds, just as her horse Bella arrived from the barn. The pair had an hour to get re-acquainted and prepare, then it was straight off to fitting and showing (ground manners). Then she competed in Judging (rating horses on their form & fitness), followed by Quiz. After a quick spaghetti and meatballs dinner it was straight off to bed in a nice cozy tent!

Sunday morning the pair competed in Hunt Seat Equitation (rider skill) and Hunt Seat Pleasure (horse rideability).

“How did she do?”, you might ask.
Hunt Seat Equitation – Blue Danish & First Place Trophy
Hunt Seat Pleasure – Blue Danish & First Place Trophy
General Stark Memorial Trophy – Highest Combined Score for Fitting & Showing and Riding Classes
End of the Show – Champion!
#1 Rockingham County Delegate to the New Hampshire 4H State Horse Show in three weeks (now down to two weeks).

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Then Melissa went home to curl up in her own bed for a well deserved rest!

This is the first time Melissa’s been Champion of a fully attended show! I think we’ll keep her away from Bella for several days and send her on a long journey before all of her horse shows from now on!

Just thought you’d like to know.

Scott Lever

The Brennan triplets — Wes, Josh and Adam — are still catching up on their sleep as their mother, Deb catches up on the laundry and more than a week’s worth of mail.

The family is home from their adventure with the Lancers Marching Band in Beijing with memories they will often share around the dinner table or with their neighbors, the Leonards, who also made the trip.

Deb and her husband Mark joined the trip as followers — parents and other family members not chaperoning — as did Tom and Michele Leonard. Their daughter, Melanie Leonard, 22, joined the family in New York and went on the trip. Their son, Matt, Leonard, 16, plays bass in the band’s drum line.

Wes, who was looking forward to eating rice in China, would probably not care…

Read the rest of the story in the Derry News by Suzanne Laurent

These two clips show some more of the flooding the Londonderry Lancer Band ran into on the trip.

These images of days 7, 8, 9 and 10 of the Londonderry Lancer Band are absolutely incredible!  To view the images click here to view this album on Judy’s photo site.

Remember that you can view the photos as a “full screen” slideshow by clicking on the “Slideshow” button (located right above the upper left photo) in the window that opens. Press the F11 key on your keyboard to make the window fill your monitor. Be sure to press F11 again after the show.