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<p>NANTICOKE &#8212; Start spreading the news! Greater Nanticoke Area Marching Band wants to be a part of it in old New York, and they&#8217;re asking for help.</p><p>Money raised from this year&#8217;s annual holiday fruit sale will help finance the band&#8217;s New York City trip in May 2016. The three-day trip runs from the Saturday after prom to Monday.</p><p>&#8220;It&#8217;s fun seeing the kids who stay up late for prom come at 5 a.m.,&#8221; Brad Bunnell, band director, said.</p><p>It&#8217;s not just all fun and games in the Big Apple, but also educational. Bunnell wants to take the kids to Ellis Island and do a tour around Manhattan.</p><p>&#8220;We&#8217;re planning on a show &#8212; I&#8217;d like to see &#8216;Wicked,&#8217;&#8221; Bunnell said.</p><p>It generally costs several hundred dollars to send each member on the trip. With fundraising, however, students are looking to pay less than half out-of-pocket this year.</p><p>&#8220;We have a lot of returning customers,&#8221; said self-proclaimed fruitchair Christine Mash. &#8220;It&#8217;s a good product. I had grapefruits in my refrigerator for almost a month.&#8221;</p><p>The fundraiser comes after a season of hard work and dedication, supporting the school and playing at football games, community parades and band competitions.</p><p>&#8220;We have a great group of kids that work really hard,&#8221; Bunnell said.</p><p>Mash praised the parents who worked the concession stand, as some of the money raised during the football season goes toward helping the kids pay for the bus.</p><p>Prices on the fruit range from $18 to $60. The kids participating in the sale receive a 40 percent return on their sale, all going toward the cost of their trip. Pee Jay&#8217;s Fresh Fruit, Swedesboro, New Jersey, is the corporate distributor of the fruit.</p><p>&#8220;Some fruit comes from Florida, the apples come from Washington,&#8221; Mash said.</p><p>The delivery will be held sometime during the week of Dec. 7.</p><p>&#8220;It&#8217;s exciting if it&#8217;s during the school day, we take some kids out of school and sort it then and there,&#8221; Mash said.</p><p>Standard products such as oranges, apples, grapefruit and other citrus fruits are being sold by band members or through <a href="http://www.freshfruitorder.org/gnaband" target="_blank">www.freshfruitorder.org/gnaband</a>. Boxes are available through pick-up at the school or delivery through UPS.</p><p>Assorted samplers and boxes are also available to be delivered as a gift, perfect for the upcoming holiday season.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">This file photo shows the The Greater Nanticoke Area High School Marching Band performing in the June 2015 Firemen&#8217;s Parade. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/web1_TTL062815NanticokeFireParade_2.jpg</photo0><caption0>This file photo shows the The Greater Nanticoke Area High School Marching Band performing in the June 2015 Firemen&#8217;s Parade. </caption0><photoCredit0>Bill Tarutis | Times Leader files </photoCredit0></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Melanie Mizenko</p><p>mmizenko@civitasmedia.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><factboxMeta><p><strong>HOW TO ORDER</strong></p><p>Orders can be placed through Nov. 20 at <a href="http://freshfruitorder.org/gnaband" target="_blank">freshfruitorder.org/gnaband</a> or through individual band members. Pick up will be the week of Dec. 7. For more information, call Christine Mash at 570-239-8863.</p></factboxMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Melanie Mizenko at 570-991-6116 or on Twitter @TL_MMizenko.</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Help send the Greater Nanticoke Area Marching Band to NYC