The Blue Jay Marching Band and Jayettes gather after their big march in the Magic Kingdom.

In the early hours of the morning on Lundi Gras, while many New Orleanians were preparing for a day of fun and parades, members of the Blue Jay Band and Jayettes gathered in the traditions courtyard to board buses that would take them on the 10 hour drive to Lake Buena Vista, Fla. Every other year since 1993, the band has been making the drive down to central Florida for a fun week in the vacation capital of the world. On Mardi Gras Day, 110 bandsmen and Jayettes (the largest performing group Jesuit has ever taken) had the privilege to lead the 3:00 p.m. parade down Main Street USA at Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom theme park. The band, under the direction of drum major, senior Patrick Fine, played a Disney March medley and the Jesuit Fight Song along the route.

This year, in addition to their Mardi Gras day performance, the group also made visits to Disney’s Hollywood Studios, Epcot, Disney’s Animal Kingdom, Disney Quest, Universal Studios, and Islands of Adventure. The group also attended a performance of the Blue Man Group at the Universal Orlando Resort.

Even in central Florida, the Blue Jay community is alive and well. During their visit, the group met up with Mr. Taylor Martina ’08, who currently works as a guest relations cast member at Walt Disney World, and Mr. Tim Weber ’10, who also works at Walt Disney World as a character attendant cast member.