BAND CONCESSION STAND

The high school band of which our daughter is a member hosted the Florida Bandmaster Association (FBA) competition on Saturday. There were around fourteen high school bands along with their family members, guests, and fans. I don’t know the numbers but there were a lot of band students and others who were not only on the field and in the stands, but visiting the concession stand where I was.

I volunteered to work in the concession stand because they are usually short-handed in large events like this. I’ve helped in the years past, especially with our other two kids who played in the band, but I haven’t helped at a FBA since my cancer diagnosis. There are a couple of reasons why I haven’t and I’ve been vividly reliving them ever since Saturday night.

The first problem is that the concession crowds are enormous. That means that concession workers are in a constant hurry mode to get things done. There’s really no room for a one handed person. So, I try to do something that I can primarily do one handed without causing a massive backup. Saturday, I was on the drink machine. I filled cups with ice and dispensed soft drinks by the hundreds if not into the thousands. Even the simplest of jobs like that can’t be done with one hand without gumming up the works. It was a frantic pace for a solid five hours. Eileen came and helped me later in my shift. She basically took over and I handed out the drinks. I could do that one handed. I was a long day and my right arm was in for an even longer night.

Secondly, my stamina is not real good. I can push through about anything but weariness and mild leg cramps had long set in. When Eileen and I were offered a relief worker, I spoke right up and took it. Eileen and I got to the stands in time to watch representatives from the various bands march onto the field for awards. I don’t like to use extreme words but I was exhausted.

Over the years, I have been very involved in our children’s activities, even to the extent of coaching, cooking, working fields, concession stands, and being president of a booster club for a couple of years. However, although the band is hosting another very large band event in a few weeks, I think I’m going to leave it to the more able-bodied parents. I’ll be recovering from Saturday’s event for a few days.