Berkley Instrumental Boosters' Tag Days Fundraiser Is This Weekend

The sound of cash registers ringing will be music to the Berkley Instrumental Boosters' ears this weekend during the group's annual Tag Days fundraiser.

Band and orchestra students in grades six through 12 will be stationed outside 34 businesses in Berkley, Huntington Woods, Oak Park, Royal Oak, Beverly Hills and Southfield (see complete list, below) on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 5-7, to solicit donations from community members. In exchange, donors will receive a tag that lists all of the free concerts that will be held during the 2012-2013 school year.

The first upcoming performances will be put on by ninth- through 12th-graders during the Indoor Marching Band Concert at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 23, in the Berkley High School Auditorium and sixth- through 12th-graders during the annual Halloween Orchestra Concert at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 30, also in the BHS auditorium.

"Tag Days funds support 70 percent of the Berkley Instrumental Boosters' budget for the entire school year," said Tag Days co-chairperson Chris Germaine, who added that the group's fundraising goal is $15,000. "These monies are used to purchase equipment, instruments, uniforms, compensation for clinicians, transportation, music, and scholarships for students to use for private lessons, instrument rental fees, or summer instrumental camp tuition."

The Berkley School District's instrumental music program has 651 students and was named a 2012 Best Community for Music Education by the California-based NAMM Foundation, according to the boosters group.

“It doesn’t matter if you have a quarter, or a dollar, or $20," Germaine said. "When you drop that donation in the cup, you lift the spirit of that student, you make a direct connection to their education, and you make a difference for Berkley’s instrumental music programs.”

The Berkley Instrumental Boosters usually meet the first Monday of each month in the Berkley High School Band Room. Visit the group's website or Facebook page for more information. 

Participating Tag Days businesses

• 7-Eleven, Coolidge Highway and 11 Mile Road, Oak Park
• 7-Eleven, 13 Mile and Greenfield roads, Royal Oak
• 7-Eleven, 12 Mile Road and Oakshire, Berkley
• Alex's of Berkley, 12 Mile, Berkley
• Amici's Pizza & Living Room, 12 Mile, Berkley
• Bagger Dave's, Coolidge Highway, Berkley
• Blockbuster Video, Woodward Avenue and Catalpa, Royal Oak
• Coffee Beanery, Woodward Avenue and Wiltshire, Berkley
• Country Oven Family Restaurant, 12 Mile, Berkley
• Credit Union One, Woodward Avenue, Berkley
• Durst Lumber, 11 Mile Road and Coolidge Highway, Berkley
• Einstein Bros. Bagels, Woodward Avenue, Berkley
• Family Video, Coolidge Highway and Catalpa, Berkley
• Flagstar Bank, Woodward Avenue, Berkley
• FYE, Woodward Avenue, Berkley
• Hiller's, Twelve Mile Road, Berkley
• Holiday Market, South Main Street, Royal Oak
• JJ Fatt's, Coolidge Highway and Catalpa, Berkley
• L. George's Coney Island, Greenfield, Southfield
• Leo's Coney Island, Northwood Shopping Center, Royal Oak
• Mr. Kabob, Coolidge Highway and 12 Mile Road, Berkley
• National Coney Island, Main Street and 12 Mile Road, Royal Oak
• Nello's Family Restaurant, Woodward Avenue and Lincoln, Royal Oak
• Pasquale's restaurant, Woodward Avenue, Royal Oak
• Peking House, South Washington, Royal Oak
• Pet Supplies Plus, Woodward Avenue, Royal Oak
• Premier Pet Supply, Southfield Road, Beverly Hills
• Royal Oak Farmer's Market, 11 Mile Road, Royal Oak
• Royal Oak Post Office, Second and South Washington, Royal Oak
• Sila Italian Dining & Pizza, 12 Mile, Berkley
• The Avenue Family Restaurant, Woodward Avenue, Royal Oak
• Thrifty Florist, Woodward Avenue and 11 Mile Road, Huntington Woods
• Walgreens, 12 Mile and Rochester Roads, Royal Oak
• Westborn Market, Woodward Avenue, Berkley