Dear Editor,

The Palmerton Area Music Parents’ Association would like to extend the most heartfelt thank you to the Times News, the Palmerton Area School District administration, school board, faculty/staff and students, and the entire Palmerton community for their support of the music students as we traveled to Orlando, Florida.

While they were experiencing this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, hearing about the videos being watched back home in classrooms, offices and homes made it even more special. Word reached us that their performances were being talked about in the grocery store, on the streets and even at the polls!

To the Times News, thank you for showcasing our trip with a front-page article before we left and then providing the links to our videos through your Prindeo app after the trip. To the Palmerton Area School District, thank you to the administration and school board for giving us the approval a year and half ago to make this dream trip a reality and for continuing the support throughout the entire planning process.

A thank you to the teachers for excusing the students for four days of school and being more than understanding about what work they would and would not be able to complete while away. Thank you, also, for providing the time in your classes or for opening your classroom during lunch so that the students back home could cheer on their peers performing in Disney! To the students, you have no idea how much it meant to the performers to be hearing from you (thank goodness for social media) immediately after their Disney debuts! No words can fully express what all this support has meant to us.

Lastly, to the Palmerton Community … we could not be prouder to be from this fine town! We felt the love through comments on Facebook, talks around town, and even through seeing a few familiar faces in Disney.

In addition, whether you supported us financially by attending our bingo, purchasing fruit or pierogies or enjoying food from our concession stand, you helped make this trip possible. We might have been playing and performing in the Happiest Place on Earth, but we knew that although the time would come when we’d have to return home, we’d at least be returning to the Best Little Town on Earth. Never before have we had more Bomber Pride!

With sincere appreciation,

The Palmerton Area Music Parents’ Association

Gretchen Laviolette

Palmerton