LONGVIEW, Texas — Editor's Note: The above video aired in August 2023.
The Longview High School choir has been invited to sing in France to honor the 80th anniversary of D-Day, and to help cover the cost the choir is hosting two fundraisers.
The fundraisers are titled "Fill The Plane" to help students get the money they need to make it to the beaches of Normandy. The first will be an afternoon of music trivia on Oct. 14 at VFW Post 4002, located at 401 Ambassador Row in Longview. The event will be from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m.
Admission to the trivia event is $20 per person. There will be door prizes, a 50/50 raffle and prizes for winners. Food will be available for purchase.
Another fundraiser will be a golf tournament on Nov. 9 at the Tempest Golf Club, located at 568 E. Wilkins Road in Gladewater. It will begin at 8:30 a.m. with a performance by the Longview High School choir and an opening ceremony, and the shotgun start will follow at 9 a.m. This tournament is four-man scramble and costs $500 per team.
On June 6, 1944 during World War II, the Western Allies stormed the beaches of Normandy, France, leading to a significant blow in defeating the German Army.
Longview High School choir teacher Melody McMullen said each student will need a passport and around $4,200 for the trip.
The choir team will visit the beaches at Normandy and two American cemeteries, participate in a wreath-laying ceremony, perform at cemeteries and walk in the parade of the first village liberated from German control. The group will also go to Paris to perform in one of the cathedrals.