HUNTERSVILLE, N.C. — A high school band is getting a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
On Wednesday, Hopewell High School’s Titanium Sound Band packed up and headed to Atlanta for the Peach Bowl.
“We’ve been talking about it for over a year now,” said band member Alex Woods. “So, the fact that today we’re leaving and it just it means so much to all be together and get to do this.”
It was an exciting day -- Students started arriving around 5:30 a.m. to load up all of their equipment.
Band director Curtis Bell talked to Channel 9′s Almiya White about the trip, which he called the opportunity of a lifetime, and one the students will remember forever.
[ PREVIOUS: ‘It’s unbelievable’: Community helps local high school band meet fundraising goal ]
“It’s a big moment. I mean, we get to go and we get to represent, not only for our community but also for the school district and the whole nine yards,” Bell said. “We take a lot of people on our shoulders with us down to this particular event so we’re looking forward to just representing.”
It was a community effort for the band to get this chance. Back in October, they had been invited to the Peach Bowl but needed some help getting there. Their goal was to raise $85,000 but they were short $15,000.
Despite needing the additional funds on a tight deadline, the band surpassed their goal in three days, raising $21,000 thanks to their community.
“The fact that we got the chance to get the community to rally behind us and show how much they support us, and how much how much of an impact we have around us,” Woods said.
“It was just amazing,” Bell said. “We never thought in our wildest dreams that it would happen in such a short amount of time. It just goes to show, the love the community has for this band program.”
[ ALSO READ: NC State, Maryland to face off in Charlotte’s Duke Mayo Bowl ]
The Titanium Sound Band will perform at the Peach Bowl on New Year’s Eve, and they said they promise to make their community proud.
“I mean, they came through for us. So it’s now our time to come through for them,” Bell said.
“We are representing the community when we go to Atlanta, and I hope that they are happy that they’ve got us here,” said band member Kya Mcrae.
She said the opportunity will open doors for them.
“A lot of colleges will seek our players to just snatch them up, like ‘go to our school,’” Mcrae said.
As the room filled with the energy of his students Wednesday, Bell said they’re excited to perform in a few days.
“The hard work has been done, we’ve prepared ourselves over the last month and a half. So we’re just looking forward to all the performance opportunities that we’re going to have while we’re away,” he said.
(WATCH BELOW: Panthers run past Lions 37-23, maintain division title hopes)
This browser does not support the video element.