Organizers of the 13th annual Hampton Band Holiday Extravaganza are hoping to keep up the momentum.
“Last year was record-breaking. We had the most number of vendors, most number of attendees. We raised the most amount of money we ever had,” Jennifer Blakeley, co-chairs the event committee, reported. “So we were really proud of how it turned out.”
This year’s extravaganza is scheduled for 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Dec. 7 at Hampton High School, with Frosty the Snowman as the theme.
Music includes performances by band members in fifth and eighth grades, high school honors band and wind ensemble, and for the first time, a brass quintet.
The event, organized by the Hampton Band Association, offers a prime opportunity for shopping.
“We’re right at about 125 vendors, and they are selling anything and everything you could ever want,” Blakeley said.
Another highlight is the Band Dads Café, with the effort led by an enthusiastic John Brady.
“I look forward to it the way I look forward to, like, Super Bowl Sunday. It’s just fantastic,” he said. “And the thing that I’m most grateful for are all the other dads who help me out. There’s really not a whole lot that I have to do the day of, because I get so much help.”
He has been the café’s “quarterback” since 2021, after the band association skipped a year of the extravaganza because of covid-19.
“Most businesses were hurt very, very badly by the pandemic,” he recalled. “When I first started reaching out to local businesses and asking for donations, I was prepared to hear a big, fat no.”
But the opposite turned out to be true.
“I cannot believe the generosity of the businesses that are in the Greater Hampton area,” he said.
The café menu will feature many items that have been donated, or offered at cost or a significant discount, including pulled-pork sliders, pizza slices, chicken and roast beef sandwiches, soft pretzels and, new this year and prepared by one of the dads, waffles.
More treats will be available at the extravaganza’s Cookie Walk, during which guests can purchase home-baked treats by the pound. The goal is to have 10,000 cookies of a wide variety available.
Preparations for the extravaganza, which benefits the Hampton Township School District band program, began in August.
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“Our committee is made up of a lot of returning parents who have done it before, so that helps it to go smoothly,” Blakeley said. “All of the students in the marching band are asked to volunteer some time to help pull off the day. It really is all hands on deck.”
Locally owned Dance Unleashed is presenting Frosty’s Kids Zone from 9 until 2. Each $12 ticket includes a visit with Santa Claus, with free digital image; visit with Frosty, with take-home photo for a $1 donation; a slushie and cookie; make-and-take crafts; face painting; and story and dance times.
Advance purchase guarantees a ticket. Any remaining tickets can be purchased at the door for $15 on a first-come, first-served basis. For more information, email blakeleyfamily5@gmail.com.