Ten years ago this week, the Busy Bee Band & Honeybees embarked on a massive undertaking that had been years in the making. The 240-member band, under the leadership and direction of Earl W. McConnell and choreograph Tracey Linn, traveled to Pasadena, California for the 111th Tournament of Roses Parade.
It is estimated that over 465 million people in 100 countries around the world watched that January 1, 2000 parade.
In addition to performing in the prestigious Tournament of Roses Parade, the group also participated in BANDFEST, an opportunity for the band to perform their halftime show at the famous Rose Bowl Stadium and have a photo, which is immortalized in the EFHS Bandroom today, taken in front of the stadium. The band also participated in the Mainstreet U.S.A. Parade at Disneyland, becoming the first West Virginia band to perform at both Disney Complexes in the United States. Take a moment to relive one of the most memorable moments in the Busy Bee Band's 40-year history that is now marking its 10-year anniversary. Full Story
The Busy Bee Band & Honeybees participating in the 111th Tournament of Roses Parade
Record Number of Sunkist Citrus Sold
The Busy Bee Band & Honeybees Fall Fruit Sale has set a new record for the group with band students selling 102,000 pounds of Sunkist oranges and grapefruit. That amount includes 16 students who sold over 1,000 pounds each. The total amount of fruit sold by the group over the 26-years now sits at 3,134,170 pounds. The citrus is scheduled to arrive December 8th and will be delivered between Tuesday, December 8th and Sunday, December 13th. The group will be selling Sunkist citrus again in February 2010.
The annual Busy Bee Band & Honeybees "Ad Page" appeared in the Times-West Virginian on Friday, November 6th. This pictorial fund-raiser page is an annual insert in the Time-West Virginian that traditionally appears on the day of the East/West Game and highlights accomplishments of the Busy Bee Band & Honeybees from the preceding and current year. This year's page highlights the band's recent performances at the Massillon Tiger Band Review and at University High School along with the band's travel to Walt Disney World and highlights of Follies.
Individuals and businesses purchase "ads" for the page which supports the band organization. The Ad Page has been a major fundraiser for the Busy Bee Band & Honeybees for several years. You can download the full pages in PDF form here:
The East-West Stadium Tile the Tunnel Project continues. Each tile depicts the official logo of the band along with the individual's name and graduating class year at a cost of $50. Full Story | Tile the Tunnel Order Form
The Busy Bee Band & Honeybees departed for Orlando, Florida and Disney World on May 23rd. The group arrived in Savannah Saturday night and left early Sunday morning for the EPCOT Center. On Monday, May 25, the group visited the Magic Kingdom and performed in the "Celebrate A Dream Come True" Parade down Mainstreet USA. The Memorial Day performance at the Magic Kingdom marked the 11th performance by the band at Walt Disney World since 1974.
The Busy Bee Band & Honeybees perform in the "Celebrate A Dream Come True"
Parade down Mainstreet U.S.A. in Walt Disney World.
On Tuesday, May 26, the band visited Disney's Hollywood Studios, formerly Disney - MGM Studios. The group also visited Planet Hollywood before returning to Fairmont on May 27th. The band then bid farewell to the Class of 2009 on Friday, May 29th at East Fairmont High School. CONGRATULATIONS, Class of 2009! Pictures
The Busy Bee Band & Honeybees has been featured in another national publication, gracing the cover of the April 2009 School Band & Orchestra Magazine. The magazine features an interview with Mr. McConnell in which he discusses carrying on his father's legacy and traditions, while bringing the program into the 21st century. SBO is received by 20,000 school band and orchestra directors in grade schools, middle schools,
high schools, and selected colleges in the United States 12 times a year. There are also thousands
of additional copies circulated at the major music educators events throughout the year. Article
Follies 2009 opened to a capacity crowd at the East Fairmont Auditorium on Thursday, April 2nd. The show features the Honeybees in several numbers, including a rendition of "Our Favorite Son" from the Will Rogers Follies. Other features include Highlights from the Movie Sound Track of Mamma Mia!, Neil Diamond's Greatest Hits and a Legends of Rock medley.
Follies 2009 also features a scenes from Walt Disney World as the band prepares for their 11th Performance in the Magic Kingdom since 1974. To close the first half of the show, the band honors the 200th Birthday of Abraham Lincoln. The Sunday mantinee marks the final performance of Follies 2009. Over 3000 patrons attended the annual production in the East Fairmont High School Auditorium. Pictures | Follies 2009 DVD Order Form
The Honeybees in "Our Favorite Son" during Follies 2009
On Monday, January 19th, the Busy Bee Band & Honeybees participated in Governor Joe Manchin's Second Inaugural Parade in Charleston, West Virginia. The group led the Governor and First Lady at the beginning of the parade down Kanawha Boulevard. Following the parade, the group staged a photo in front of the State Capitol building before returning to Fairmont. Photos
The Busy Bee Band & Honeybees stand in front of the West Virginia Capitol building following their performance in Governor Joe Manchin's Second Inaugural Parade.
34th Annual Busy Bee Band Ad Page in Times-West Virginian - Band's Bahamas performance venture lands two national magazine covers!
The annual Busy Bee Band & Honeybees "Ad Page" appeared in the Times-West Virginian on Friday, November 7th. This pictorial fund-raiser page is an annual insert in the Time-West Virginian that traditionally appears on the day of the East/West Game and highlights accomplishments of the Busy Bee Band & Honeybees from the preceding and current year. This year's page highlights the band's performance trip last march to Nassau, Bahamas. With photos of their performances both on the island as well as aboard ship, the group's experience was featured on front covers of two national publications - “Teach and Travel", courtesy of SYTA and “Teaching Music” courtesy of Music Educators National Conference - (MENC). This marks the third story on the Busy Bee Band & Honeybees in the past 18 months in educational publications - with the remaining article in the June 2007 "Instrumentalist" magazine.
Individuals and businesses purchase "ads" for the page which supports the band organization. The Ad Page has been a major fundraiser for the Busy Bee Band & Honeybees for several years. You can download the full pages in PDF form here:
The Busy Bee Band & Honeybees have once again been featured in a national magazine. The band is featured on the cover of the August Issue of Teaching Music, which is distributed nationally by the Music Educators National Conference. This makes the 3rd national magazine in which the group has featured in the last 18-months.
The magazine article focuses on the challenges and rewards of travel for musical groups. In addition to the cover, the band is featured prominently in the magazine in a double-page spread picture from the recent trip to the Bahamas. Full Article
On April 3, 2008, the Busy Bee Band & Honeybees opened Follies 2008 to a sold-out audience at the East Fairmont High School Auditorium. Follies 2008 marked the 36th Annual Production of spring tradition . The show started with the band playing the opening fanfare from "That's Entertainment" followed by "There's No Business Like Show Business" and "Comedy Tonight." The Honeybees were then featured during "Riffin' the Blues." The Opening Overture ended with a reprise of "Comedy Tonight" and "Everything's Coming Up Roses." Follies 2008 Highlights
Busy Bee Band Performs at Rawson Square; Aboard Fascination
Featured Videos on Banddirector.com from aboard the Fascination and On-Shore
The Busy Bee Band & Honeybees departed the Port of Miami on Friday around 4:30 p.m. for Nassau in the Bahamas. Following a brief overview of safety procedures, the Carnival Cruiser Fascination set sail with the 180-member band aboard. On Saturday, the group performed a stand-up show at Rawson Square which literally shut down streets in Nassua. During the performance, the band exchanged proclamations from West Virginia Governor Joe Manchin and the Bahamas Minister of Tourism. The band paraded back to port following the performance. Saturday afternoon, the group went to Paradise Island, which is famous for the Atlantis Hotel Complex. There, the band spent a few hours at the beach before a quick shopping spree in Nassau.
Busy Bee Band & Honeybees perform at Rawson Square in Nassau, Bahamas
Highlights from New York City and the 2006 Field Show from Follies 2007 have been added to the Multimedia Library. Additionally, the 2006 field show from the Thomas Jefferson High School Band Spectacular and the 2005 field show from the Morgantown High School Band Spectacular have been uploaded in full to YouTube and can be found on the Multimedia page. Stay tuned as we continue to add video of the band from past years and, soon, from this year. Multimedia Library
The Busy Bee Band & Honeybees Photo Gallery has been updated with pictures celebrating the rich tradition of the organization. Take a moment to look back on some of the memorable performance of yesteryear. Full Story
The Busy Bee Band & Honeybees returned Sunday night from Norfolk, Virginia where they participated in the 54th International Azalea Festival. Seventeen high school bands representing six states participated in the event. The Busy Bee Band & Honeybees were awarded Best Overall Marching, Best Overall Music and Queen Bee Meghan Kinty was awarded Best Drum Major. The group was presented as Grand Champions of the Parade of Nations, winning a gold medal representing a rating in the 90th percentile based on a national grading scale. Full Story
The Busy Bee Band & Honeybees march in the 54th International Azalea Festival Parade of Nations
The Busy Bee Band from East Fairmont High School is sharing the “New York Experience” with schools throughout North America. Members of the Busy Bee Band are pictured marching down Seventh Avenue in New York last May when the band visited Rockefeller Center and also the USS Intrepid. The picture is on the cover of the March issue of Student & Youth Traveler.
“This magazine goes to 35,000 schools in North America, and we were just fortunate enough to get on the cover,” Director Earl W. McConnell said — beaming with pride as he displayed the magazine cover. Full Story
For the second time in three months, the Busy Bee Band & Honeybees have been featured in a prominent national magazine. For over 60 years school band and orchestra directors have depended on The Instrumentalist for practical information to use with their ensembles. In their June 2007 issue, the magazine features an Interview with the the Director of the Busy Bee Band & Honeybees, Mr. Earl McConnell, and examines the travels of the band throughout the country and the contributions made at home. Full Story
2009-2010
Ten years ago this week, the Busy Bee Band & Honeybees embarked on a massive undertaking that had been years in the making. The 240-member band, under the leadership and direction of Earl W. McConnell and choreograph Tracey Linn, traveled to Pasadena, California for the 111th Tournament of Roses Parade.
It is estimated that over 465 million people in 100 countries around the world watched that January 1, 2000 parade.
That amount includes 16 students who sold over 1,000 pounds each. The total amount of fruit sold by the group over the 26-years now sits at 3,134,170 pounds. The citrus is scheduled to arrive December 8th and will be delivered between Tuesday, December 8th and Sunday, December 13th. The group will be selling Sunkist citrus again in February 2010.
The Busy Bee Band & Honeybees have once again been featured in a national magazine. The band is featured on the cover of the August Issue of Teaching Music, which is distributed nationally by the 
safety procedures, the Carnival Cruiser Fascination set sail with the 180-member band aboard. On Saturday, the group performed a stand-up show at Rawson Square which literally shut down streets in Nassua. During the performance, the band exchanged proclamations from West Virginia Governor Joe Manchin and the Bahamas Minister of Tourism. The band paraded back to port following the performance. Saturday afternoon, the group went to Paradise Island, which is famous for the Atlantis Hotel Complex. There, the band spent a few hours at the beach before a quick shopping spree in Nassau. 
