Kylie McAllister @smileeyyy_kylie [Co Executive Yearbook Editor]

He recalls the many hours that he spent the year before in the school for the show choir invitational, and prepares himself for the long weekend ahead of him.

Nathan Baldwin, senior, is part of New Creation Show Choir. This weekend the Music Booster Club is hosting the second annual Marion Masquerade. Last year, Baldwin volunteered during the first invitational. “I did set up for eight hours before hand, ongoing help during the two day masquerade, and came back the day after to tear down,” stated Baldwin. The amount of work that goes into this invitational is worth it for the music department though. “It was a great experience for the music program to get out there and do some fundraising for our department,” said Baldwin.

The masquerade is expected to raise a lot of money for the music program. “This may be the largest invitational in the metro area. We are expecting over 500 people,” said Baldwin. Last year with the money raised, they were able to purchase mirrors for the choir room. They are hoping this year to raise even more.

There are going to be over 100 volunteers helping with various activities such as cleaning, hosting schools, helping in the kitchen, and with the stage and sound. “Last year, I assisted the judges and tallied the scores to make sure everything was okay,” commented Baldwin. This year, he is going to be doing the same job.

The Marion Masquerade is one of the last performances for the show choirs. “We are done with competitions, but we have a performance after this with the middle school,” added Baldwin. While the show choir season is coming to an end, the Marion Masquerade is allowing the music program to go out on a high note.