The Iola High School band returned from its trip to New York City Sunday night, but what was originally to be a 23-hour drive turned into 33, due to the band’s bus breaking down three times on the way home.
The first time the bus broke down they were in Ohio, according to outgoing band director, Robert McGuire.
“The trip went really well until we were on our way back and then the bus starting having problems,” McGuire said.
The band was in Ohio for five hours until the tour company was able to send someone to see if they could fix the problem. The mechanic changed the bus’ oil in hopes they would make it to Effingham, Ill, according to Becky French, a nurse practitioner.
“It happened in the early morning hours, and then the bus just died,” French said. “They changed the oil so that we could make it to Effingham to switch buses.”
The school district provided the travelers a meal for the night since the stop was not part of their budgeted schedule.
After breaking down two times the band was able to switch busses. Adults, along with the students, worked together to get everything unloaded and reloaded pretty quickly, she said.
French said there weren’t any “serious medical problems on the trip, other than some headaches, motion sickness and one student got a sprained ankle.”
Though the return trip was extended and tiresome, both French and McGuire were pleased to see how the students “took it in stride,” French said.
“The students were in high spirits, and took it very well. No one got angry,” McGuire said.
The trip was a success according to McGuire and the two performances went “smoothly.”
