I know our 3 families will be having a great time and I can't wait to once again hear the stories of their time spent at Snowball Express.
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| first to board. |
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| Up early, but you could sense the anticipation in the air |
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| Kids can't wait |
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| Patriot Guard Riders Proudly Serving |
To Our Snowball Express Family,
Well, in a few short we will welcome you to Dallas-Fort Worth and we could not be more excited. Each member of our Board of Directors and volunteer teams who work all year to plan this event look forward to welcoming you with open arms. I wanted to send you a quick note to tell you a bit about our plans and what to expect. Of course I can't tell you everything as that would spoil the surprises, but I will give you some details so that you can plan ahead.
Arrival Day: Friday
The flights will arrive throughout the day and you will be transported to the Sheraton Dallas Hotel to check in and have some time to get acquainted with one another. Lunch and dinner will be served in the Dallas Ballroom. The lounges will be open for both Children and Adults. You can take your kids to the Neiman Marcus store located on the 2nd level ATRIUM room to shop for you. While your kids are shopping for you, you can visit the Family Resource room that is located adjacent in the Press Club Room.
A Special Holiday Tree Lighting Festival:
At 5:30 PM, the Lounges will close and we will all go to a special "Holiday Tree Lighting Festival" event for the kids at the AT&T performing Arts Center a few blocks away. The Performing Arts Center has constructed a "wonderland" for the kids complete with an ice skating rink, a giant walk in snow globe, Santa's Courtyard, craft tables, AirStar Light Balloons, Food, some amazing entertainment from the cast of "Cirque Dreams", and several other surprise acts. Santa will light the giant Christmas Tree and he has asked me to select one of our boys and girls to help him light the tree.
Not all of our families will have arrived yet, but I would like to have everyone who has arrived join me to attend this very special event. There will be lots of fun for both kids and adults.
When we return from the festival the lounges will open again.
Saturday:
We will have breakfast and then board busses for the biggest event of the year in Dallas, the annual Children's Medical Center Holiday Parade. This is the 25th anniversary of this special parade that supports the patients of Children's Medical Center in Dallas. This is the largest City event of the year and kicks off the Christmas season in a great way with lots of fun for the kids. We have reserved seating so you won't have to worry about fighting the crowds.
And The Grand Marshals of the parade are some very special kids from Children's Medical Center. There will be giant inflatable balloons, bands, performance groups, special groups including some of our friends; Navy SEALS from the "Carry the Load" organization, kid's celebrities and costume characters.
For those not going to Six Flags, there are some options:
Many of our families will go to Six Flags over Texas amusement park, while some families will be able to go back to the hotel for lunch and then take their younger kids to the Interactive Windows at Neiman Marcus, or go to the North Park Center Mall where there is a Puppet show, an elaborate toy train exhibit, and of course shopping.
The Neiman Marcus Interactive Windows allow children ages 5-10 the opportunity to enter a magical world created in the store's display windows.
Some of our kids have signed up to participate in the Texas Music Project and they will get to spend time in the afternoon working with some professional musicians and artists. They will also rehearse for a special Monday afternoon show where they will entertain the rest of us. These kids will be in a show with several professional young performers. More information is included under Monday.
The lounges at the Sheraton will also be open for some fun and relaxation.
Sunday:
We will have breakfast at the hotel and then board the buses for our day in the historic Fort Worth Stockyards for some BIG Texas Fun. The city of Fort Worth and the Stock Yard Station is a legendary location. Stockyard station exemplifies Texas by providing a blend of old and new. It is a real cowboy hang out and they have quite a time in store for you with a great show to welcome you to Fort Worth. A special celebrity welcome, a cattle drive, lunch and entertainment in "the back forty", "Pawnee Bill Wild West Show" at the Coliseum, and then dinner, fun and entertainment at Billy Bob's Texas. Billed as the "Worlds Largest Honky Tonk", Billy Bob's is host to some of Country's biggest entertainment.
There will be games, pool tables, a variety of entertainment, and our annual concert with Gary Sinise and the Lt. Dan Band. Gary has some special treats in store this year, so get ready.
Monday:
We will have a leisurely morning at the hotel with Breakfast, and Lunch. We will then walk about a block to the historic Majestic Theatre where we will enjoy the Texas Music Project/Snowball has Talent Show that will introduce you to several of our very talented kids. Also performing in this show with our kids will be several professional young performers introduced by Linda Septien.
Who is Linda Septien and who has she taught:
Demi Lovato, Selena Gomez, Jessica Simpson, Ryan Cabrerra, Ashlee Simpson, Beyonce Knowles, Cameron Mitchell (Glee), Ashley Beottcher ( They Live Upstairs), Jonathan Cook (Forever The Sickest Kids), Kevin McHale ( Glee), Cody Lynley, Kacey Musgraves, Nick Lachey, Chase Crawford (Gossip Girl), Hunter Parrish (Weeds, Spring Awakening, It's Complicated), Janine Turner (Northern Exposure, Cliff Hanger, Leave it To Beaver). Maelise Jow - (Nichelodeon), McCall Clark, (High School Musical 2), Brooklyn Sudano (Donna Summers Daughter), Tammy Fey - (Justin Timberlake Tour), Tyler Bryant (Star of Rock Prophecies, Will and Grace management), Kevin Haley (Glee), 10 American Idol Finalists, X factor finalists and The Voice finalists, leading Broadway singers, and over 30 rock, pop and country bands. Additionally, she has taught all of the Barney singers, Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders, Kidz Bop and is the official music expert spokesperson for Dallas American Idol Auditions and many regional television and radio programs.
Here are a few of the professional entertainers who will be performing for our Snowball Kids:
Hayley Orrantia:
18 year old singer, songwriter and actress from Highland Village. Hayley was recently seen on Simon Cowell's The X Factor USA as part of the girl group Lakoda Rayne where they were the last group in the competition and made it to the top 9. As a solo artist, Hayley has had songs recorded by Disney on the soundtracks for Tinkerbell and the Lost Treasure, Camp Rock 2 and Hannah Montana Forever. She's opened for several major artists and celebrities including Hot Chelle Rae, JLS, Julianne Hough, Jordan Pruitt, Drew Seeley, Paula Deen and Rachel Ray.
Ryan Atkin:
16 year old Ryan Atkin is an entertainer whose output is consistently stellar. Ryan was The Judges Choice for The Best Teen Artist at the House of Blues. He has already opened for The Fray, Disney top Artists, such as Jordan Pruitt, worked with Justin Bieber, and has done countless videos. Ryan is also a successful Actor who was a Lead in five movies.
Colton Jacobson:
At the age of 14, Colton Jacobson has found his passion, MUSIC. With a piano and a video recorder, the young pop singer quickly found his audience when he introduced himself via YouTube with his amazing home videos covering songs such as "It Will Rain" by Bruno Mars, which earned him the #2 most shared video on YouTube during that period. With over 3.6 million YouTube views to date, Jacobson has become one of YouTube's most promising young artists. The singer has gained over 40 Thousand Facebook fans and 133 Thousand Twitter followers, building a foundation of fans that are truly inspired by his music. Jacobson, a Texas native, in August was chosen out of a national audition to participate in the Kidd Kraddick Rock Camp 2012 serving as vocalist and keyboard player for the band. The one week camp led by pop radio personality Kidd Kraddick, was an opportunity for Jacobson to get advice from entertainment mentors such as Jack Black and record a song with pop music's Karmin.
Koa Ho:
Koa is a 15 year old guitar virtuoso from Honolulu who blends his unique instrumental riffs with smooth overriding vocals. His music blends underlying Jazz influences with both the formalities of classical music and smooth rock. Besides his signature guitar style, Koa has also made his mark as an upright bass player performing at large venues such as Carnegie Hall, Meyerson Symphony Center, House of Blues and The American Airlines Center. Because of his ability on not only guitar and bass, but on piano and drums, Koa's songs are instrument driven with intricate support from his musical agility.
Rudi:
To be taken on an amazing emotional and vocal journey through a song is tough for any artist to pull off. When 17 year old Rudi flourishes on a rapid fire of high octave notes, slick choruses and genre hopping pop songs from straight ahead, 4 on the floor to urban pop. As a singer/songwriter/actor, Rudi can handle a wide range of vocal challenges with absolutely no pitch discrepancies...while fully entertaining with freestyle choreography. Rudi has opened for major Disney and Nickelodeon performers and appeared on Nightline as the most promising rising young vocalist for this generation! ... and she loves to sing Latin Pop.
After the show we will return to the Sheraton Hotel for dinner and a short break.
At 6:00 PM we will load busses and travel a few miles to the Music Hall at Fair Park for our:
"Snowball Sensation - Variety Show Extreme"
This will be a great interactive extravaganza that will have everyone dancing and jumping for joy!
We can't wait to see you in a few days.
With Love,
The Snowball Express Board of Directors and Event Planning Teams
