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Chris Rivera, Chuck Goulart and other members of the Norwalk High School Marching Bears had a happy chore to do Tuesday: pick up a $5,000 check from Main Street Connect.
The money was band's prize for getting the second highest total of votes in MSC's Santa's Wish List promotion. "It's nice to do a fundraiser that's fun," said Rivera, the band's director. "Everything else we do is picking up garbage." That was a reference to one of the Marching Bears' biggest fundraisers: picking up the garbage at the three-day Oyster Festival.
Stamford's Curtain Call won first prize in the contest. The check was awarded in the offices of Norwalk Mayor Richard Moccia.
Carll Tucker, MSC founder, said Santa's Wish List and other promotional contests are part of celebrating and supporting the good in the community. He noted that Norwalk has won three of the four top prizes, a testament to the city's fighting spirit.
"This was a very tough contest," he said. "I think we had 120 community organizations that were competing in Santa's Wish List. As a company that started in Norwalk, we are very proud that such an important organization won this contest."
Goulart, president of the Marching Bears, said he wasn't aware of the contest when it began. He entered Dec. 6, and the band went from last place to third in just four days, to qualify for the final round. Winning the $5,000 took a lot of effort. "We tried hard to mobilize alumni, and it was just simple things, like, 'If you could get one extra person today to vote,'" he said. "I also made it clear in the emails that it's a great daily newspaper."
Parents Patsy Gill and Petra Collins were there to accept the check, as was high school junior Frantzer Michele, who thought he was going to City Hall to listen to the Board of Education meeting. He wound up front and center in the photograph.
Frantzer started his musical endeavors by playing violin in third grade. He transferred to trombone in sixth grade and now plays baritone horn. He said the band is hard work, but he gets a lot out of it.
Goulart said 47 committees work to raise money for the band. Its expenses include $40,000 just for buses. "It's expensive and people don't realize how expensive it is," he said of operating a marching band.
Rivera said the money would be used to pay bills and operating expenses. "They add up really quick," he said.
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