I am a little disappointed in the lack of support the City of Pittsburg is showing for the Pirates Marching show bands Debut in the Macy's Thanksgiving day parade.
My husband and I are Pittsburg high school alumni and have been Pittsburg residents for 37 years, We could not be more proud to see this marching show band has been selected out of hundreds of entries to perform in the most famous parade, and be televised for the whole world to see! We deserve to be proud, they are now not just the PRIDE OF PITTSBURG but are now going to be THE PRIDE OF THE USA!
There is something magical in there performance and the pride just beams from every band member and their parents when they discuss this exciting event of a lifetime!
So here lies my disappointment,
Except for a few small articles in the paper awhile back, I see NO mention of this HUGE event anywhere in Pittsburg. I speak to a lot of people that aren't even aware of this. We have 2 new signs in town this could be mentioned on, and billboard locations on highway 4 that have the opportunity to show not only Pittsburg residents but Antioch, Oakley & Brentwood as well, that we are going to Macy's and WE"RE DARN PROUD OF IT!
Also some help promoting the fundraising events for this trip would be a great help as well, but how can anyone donate or help if they aren't even aware of the parade performance in the first place.
Lets not wait till the day before Thanksgiving to say "oh by the way everyone be sure to watch the Macy's parade tomorrow because our marching band is in it". Where's the pride in that?
So please can the CITY & its RESIDENTS help show more support for this MAJOR event? The students and residents of this town deserve it!
Posted on Tuesday, 7/07/2009 - 8:35 p.m. PDT — by Beachdremr1
Joined: Jan 2009
Current Posts: 55
The Youth have never been one of the cities top priorities. I made a nice donation to the group that was standing in front of Safeways and requested they send me a letter so I could see if I could get the alumni who I work with to donate. Never seen the letter, so the parents who was at Safeways need to send that letter, I can't promise they will give but I will ask. Now for the people of Pittsburg who say the love the city, here is a chance to show your love to the youth who are not getting in trouble, make a donation, it will give you something to talk about on Thansgiving Day as you watch the Pride Of P.I.T.T.S.B.U.R.G march in the Big Apple.
This request includes all who have received money from the city council to build in the city and other businesses in the city, these are the same people who spend money in your businesses.
Joined: Mar 2008
Current Posts: 166
How do you think those new schools came about...
Is there a committee? who is organizing the Macy's Thanksgiving day parade fundraising?
Aside from defining the strategy and your particular target audience you MUST communicate with your target audience.
-- Mail a sponsorship letter to Pittsburg Businesses (I can help, I mentioned this to a lady staffing a table at LMC). Ask Vince F. how you can get a list of businesses PUSD does business with and send them a sponsorship letter as well. I have not received one.
-- Write a short PRESS RELEASE and send to East CCC radio stations, and TV stations
-- Call them after they received what you mailed and ask them to sponsor the Macy's Thanksgiving day parade.
-- Site ads should be part of the mix (I can place in two well visited websites targeting Pittsburg families with kids involved in Soccer). Send to other non profits who have an active website, they would love to help.
There are endless ways to communicate, advertise via social media, you have Facebook, Twitter, it is endless...
Pittsburg community DO CARE, you MUST get in front of them and tell them what's happening with this project, and why should they donate to this great cause.
Don't blame your audience.
Communication, communication, and more communication.
I do agree this is a GREAT event. Our youth need us.
By the way the left over money raised from Pittsburg residents for Measure C campaign was agreed to by the Committee to Improve Pittsburg
Schools to donate those funds to Pittsburg High School Band Boosters, earmarked for the Macy's Thanksgiving day parade fundraising.
As for our Pittsburg City Leaders
Can't count on them. You MUST be member of their group. 3 to 1 vote is what controls their system. The only way to get this group to work for us is to replace them.
Our youth is the key, we MUST support them, it's our duty as Human Beings...
Joined: Sep 2007
Current Posts: 14
Mr. Lopez,
I find it ironic that someone who seems to be on these forums on pretty much a daily basis is just now lending a voice to this cause. If you look back almost a year ago, the mention of the PHS Pirates Marching Show Band's invitation to the 2009 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade was talked about after the article in the CC Times was published. It was also talked about after the two or three articles Paul Burgarino wrote this past year. As for getting in front of our target audience, the citizens of Pittsburg, beginning last summer that is EXACTLY what both PHS Band Boosters and the PHS Music Programs have been doing. Tables were set up for every 2008 Wednesday Night's downtown, 2008 Thursday Night Car Shows, and 2008 Farmer's Markets, not only advertising the fact that the band had been bestowed this most prestigous honor, but asking for donations as well. The PHS Band Booster organization has been the single largest volunteer manpower provider for the Pittsburg Chamber of Commerce Seafood Festival. This past year, in addition to having donation boxes in each and every shuttle and racer van, a booth was set up at the front of the Festival advertising this honor as well as accepting donations. Every kid you saw at that Festival in an orange band shirt, either playing an instrument or maintaining a parking lot was advertising the fact that they were going to Macy's and so were our adult members. And since I'm on the subject of the Seafood Festival and your next post had to do with the Ferris Wheel, I'd also like to point out that every other year PHS Band Boosters try to give back to our community with donations we raise at the Seafood Festival. Two years ago, when they were raising funds for that Ferris Wheel, PHS Band Boosters donated over $1,000.00 toward the cause. Two years before that we were matched by the Pacific Offshore Racers and gave close to $3,000.00 toward the Hurricane Katrina Relief Fund. We have been invited by the Chamber to send out donation requests through the hot sheets which will be happening soon, HOWEVER, the Chamber has been fully aware of the time and energy that has been spent by our organization and the kids in getting the word out this past year, and as representatives of all the Pittsburg businesses one has to wonder why no one from THAT entity has volunteered to mention how hard our organization HAS been working to get the word out. This band will be, after all, putting all of you on the map.
The Creative Arts Building Corporation this past May held a three day celebration for the CAB's 50th Anniversary. Not only is that building HOME to our students on a daily basis 180 days of the year, PHS Band Boosters and the kids try to help in any way possible with the CABC's efforts to help restore her to her glory. They were gracious enough to direct all proceeds from that three day event to help these kids get back to NYC, even comedian Johnny Steele donated his compensation back to the band. Boosters were there as well, selling tri-tip, raffle tickets, and concert tickets to our upcoming NYC or BUST! Benefit Concert starring Pete Escovedo, who is graciously donating his time on Saturday, July 18. So far we have been at every Farmer's Market, every Thursday Night Car Show (INCLUDING PHS graduation night), and we are about to begin Concord Pavillion nights. Our members have also been in front of Raley's on Buchanan, Best Buy in Century Plaza, and Safeway in Bay Point each Sunday for the past two months selling raffle and concert tickets. Press releases have been sent to all you have suggested with the exception of "East CCC radio stations" which we are unaware of any. If you know who they are, let us know.
This forum has also had the home web address, the articles have mentioned the home web address, and in case you missed it, here it is again. www.phspiratesmusic.org Anyone who has bothered to google us and get to the website is fully aware that left over money from the Measure C campaign was donated to the Macy's cause as we publish EVERY donor we have a name for. We are also on Facebook and as for Twitter, well I think we'll leave that to the kids...
Please try to remember that our organization consists of parents and guardians of these outstanding young people who VOLUNTEER their time, their down time, their days off, time away from their family obligations and priorities, to not only get all these kids to NYC but to preserve the PHS Music Programs for up and coming Pirates. Since 2001, PHS Band Boosters have contributed over $150,000.00 to our music programs at the high school, assuring these kids of a continuing, time honored musical education tradition at PHS. We are spending as little as possible on advertising because every penny we spend is a penny taken away from these programs. One of our biggest supporters has been Tim Stone at Ready Print. His daughter was part of the program way back and he knows EXACTLY how much time and effort our members put in. There are others and I'd list them all but it would take up too much room, check our website. We're more than willing to work hard at getting the word out, but to be entirely honest we're all getting sore throats.
I believe the original poster's intent was not to blame anyone, especially the residents of our city. The way I read it was she was questioning WHY the City was not using every available resource (i.e. electronic signs, billboards, etc.) to advertise that they are PROUD of this accomplishment and are looking forward to the day THEIR city is mentioned to over 52 million people worldwide. The City of Pittsburg has allowed our kids to perform both last summer and this, and has basically paid them for their and their band director's time. They also allowed us the use of the Senior Center last November for our Aloha Jazz BBQ and picked up the tab for the meals that were sold. All those proceeds went toward Macy's. I don't believe anyone is looking to blame anyone else, and if I were that poster I think I'd take offense to your comment about not "blaming your audience".
And just so you and everyone else knows, PHS Band Boosters and our kids are not looking to everyone outside the organization to completely send these kids to NYC, though like everywhere else in these trying times we do have our share of families that are struggling more than others. Each student has been expected to meet a goal of at least half of their individual trip cost, or $600. I'm not going to EVEN go into all the individual fundraising activities that have and are still taking place in order to help the kids on their side, let's just say that they have been non-stop since June of last year. There are only so many people they can sell to....
If you happen to have the time and are so inclined, please feel free to take any information from our website at www.phspiratesmusic.org to place on any other active websites of your choice. We always encourage help from community members and as we tell our own when they come up with additional ideas, be prepared to take it on and run with it!
Jen Sears, Pittsburg High School Band Boosters
Proud Mom of Tony, PHS Drumline, Class of 2005
Proud Mom of Nate, PHS Sousas, Class of 2009
Joined: Mar 2008
Current Posts: 166
Big addition planned for Small World Park
East County Times
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Malena Oram has been eagerly awaiting the day when she can hop on the brightly colored ride visible just around the entrance of Pittsburg's Small World Park.
On Thursday, the 5-year-old was disappointed to find the attraction not yet ready for use. However, the disappointment didn't last long.
Within seconds of arriving at the park, she bounded around the Dinosaur Den patio area with her 3-year-old sister Viviana and cousins, shooting foam air rockets and floating leaves down the stream.
By this time next month, a five-seat, child-size Ferris wheel should be up and running, made possible by about $95,000 in private donations from Pittsburg residents, businesses, service groups and community fundraisers.
Next week, state inspectors are scheduled to examine the ride before giving the go-ahead. After that, the ride will be turned on. An official grand opening will be held later this summer.
Malena comes to Small World Park a few times a month with her grandmother Maria Besaw. The best ride is the "choo-choo," Malena said. Viviana loves riding the merry-go-round — once going five times in a row, Besaw said.
The Ferris wheel is the latest addition to the Pittsburg park, which has been a favorite among youngsters for more than three decades. Among the top attractions for kids is the train that runs around the perimeter of the park, the aforementioned merry-go-round and crawdad fishing.
At some point,
kids looking in the lagoon began finding crawdads, presumably brought there by native birds. One of the park's most popular activities is dropping a line tied with hot dogs or bologna to lure them out.
The kids caught eight crawdads, Besaw said. Their cousin fished for the first time in his life and was elated he caught six, she said.
Small World Park is often regarded as one of Pittsburg's "best-kept secrets," said Jess Arenivar, who along with his wife, Francis, spent Thursday afternoon — as they often do — at the park with granddaughter Veronica, 4, and grandson Antonio, 2.
"It's something unique we can tell people about; a lot of people don't realize it's there," said Mayor Nancy Parent, who led the fundraising effort for the Ferris wheel.
In early 2006, Pittsburg leaders hoped to give Small World Park greater curb appeal and an attention-grabbing attraction at the park's entrance.
"We knew people would want to be entertained, and having rides is a way to do that. Then it was like what kind of ride should be added, and someone said 'How about a Ferris wheel,'" she said.
But first the city had to find a way to pay for the $74,000 structure, along with costs associated with training operators, installation and shipping it from Italy.
Parent was quickly recruited to lead the effort. She wrote letters and talked to companies that do business in Pittsburg and service groups to solicit funds. A prize wheel at the weekly farmers market and tip boxes on Seafood Festival shuttle buses yielded $5 and $10 donations that quickly added up.
The largest donation of nearly $25,000 came from a poker tournament put together by assistant city manager Joe Sbranti. Many companies doing work in the city contributed.
"It's something else unique we can tell people
Joined: Jul 2009
Current Posts: 3
Jen,
Thank you for your post and getting this important information out there to all of us who don't know all the inside details! I know the students, parents, & boosters are all working your tails off! But additional help and support has got to be needed.
And yes you got my point exactly, I think this is an incredible honor for the students as well as for THIS CITY and think we should be LOUD & PROUD all over the place! Our surounding cities always talk down about us and only mention bad things that happen here. But who exactly got selected to perform in the Macy's Thanksgiving day parade, oh yeah thats right it's PITTSBURG! And so I don't think there should be a resident here that doesn't know about it.
It has been brought to my attention by a few chamber members that support is indeed on the way! We will have mention on the signs soon, Yes!
Anyone who knows how to get that sign on Hwy 4 (where they announce the seafood festival) to say it PROUD , please do.
I will continue my support and invite everyone else to support this event as well
We should all sit in front of the TV set Thanksgiving morning watching the PRIDE OF PITTSBURG march in New york City , and be beaming with pride knowing WE ( Pittsburg residents) helped get them there!