The Andalusia High School marching band, A Sound Tradition, left last night for Universal Studios.

Band Director Bennie Shellhouse said the band would travel by bus through the night, spend today, Wed., April 3, at Busch Gardens, check into their hotel late tonight; spend Thursday at Universal Studios; perform at Universal Studios Friday; vist Islands of Adventure, a Universal park, on Saturday, and drive home Saturday night.

“We have about 175 kids going,” Shellhouse said.

“This is the largest group I’ve taken.”

Add the parents, and the Andalusians number 210 for the trip.

The Band Boosters fund half of the trip, and students have to pay half of their total expenses.

In the parade at Universal, the AHS band will play “We’re an American Band” from Grand Funk Railroad.

“They have a list of rules about what you can and can’t plan, and there are about a thousand songs you can’t play,” he said. “They allow anything patriotic, or kind of a neutral rock.”

Since the trip followed Spring Break, students spent the week leading up to the break starting practices at 6:40 a.m. They resumed practice Sunday night to be ready for the trip.

“The last time we were there to perform, there were about 50,000 people in the part,” Shellhouse said. “We’re playing at 10:30, so it should be pretty full again.”