Hampton Bands’ Holiday Extravaganza set for Dec. 3

While the Hampton Bands’ Holiday Extravaganza features a day full of students performing music, folks who attend can expect a whole lot more.

“We really try to make sure that when a family decides to go to the event, everybody in the family has something that they’re interested in and that they can enjoy, and really get them into the holiday spirit,” Jen Blakeley said.

She is chairing the Hampton Band Association committee organizing the festivities, scheduled for 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Dec. 3 at the high school. Admission is free.

“We have food. We have shopping. The kids can do crafts. They can see Santa,” she said. “We also have a raffle each year with some wonderful baskets put together through donations from the band parents as well as donations from throughout the community.”

Probably particularly for mothers is a cookie walk, with homemade treats available on a pay-by-the-pound basis to help fulfill one December duty.

A lot of times, cookies are the last things they want to have to worry about on their holiday list,” Blakeley said.

The main attraction, of course, is the opportunity to hear Hampton musicians. On the schedule are performances by the eighth-grade band from 10:45 to 11:15; fifth-grade band, noon to 12:30; and high school wind ensemble, 1:30 to 2:15.

“It’s a wonderful day that really brings the community together,” Chad Himmler, high school band director, said. “The overwhelming majority of band families will volunteer and donate time. The large, large, large majority of high school students will all be active, and even some middle school and elementary kids will participate in addition to the performance.”

Blakeley attested to the overall dedication to the cause.

“We’ll have a lot of people on Friday night at the school putting up the tables and setting up the decorations. We have Santa’s area that has to be really festive,” she said.

“And then the day of, I have to really give a shout-out to the students. We ask them to volunteer and help the vendors to unload their vehicles in the morning, and they get there at 7 a.m. The vendors really appreciate it.”

More than 100 vendors are expected at the extravaganza, the band association’s primary fundraiser toward supporting Hampton Township School District musicians. Among other attractions are a Band Dad’s Café, serving food and drinks, a variety of raffles and, befitting the holidays, a visit from Santa and Mrs. Claus.

The packages as a whole adds up to plenty of anticipation among the musicians, according to middle school band director Shannon Shaffer.

“Every year, I pass out the permission forms for the kids to sign up for this, and all but one or two kids do,” she said, and those students generally have conflicts or are out of town. “I think it really is exciting for them, especially at the middle school level. It’s nice for them to be able to play side-by-side with the fifth-graders because they remember that feeling when they were that age.”

Her elementary school counterpart, Sean Desguin, said the feeling is mutual, and he looks forward to having his musicians return to performing after doing so for the first time at the end of fourth grade.

“This will be their first time playing together this year,” he said, “and they’re excited to get to play for their friends and family.”

Launched by the Hampton Band Association in 2011, the extravaganza hit a few snags during the covid-19 pandemic, with the 2020-21 school year event taking place outdoors in the spring and masks still being required for last December’s festivities.

This year, it’s all clear.

“As the planning committee,” Blakeley said, “we’re definitely looking forward to seeing everybody’s smiling faces.”

For more information, including ordering tickets for selected activities for children, visit www.hamptonbands.org/holiday-extravaganza.