Colt Cadets Move-Ins & Car Wash Information

May 28, 2025

Colt Cadets Move In

The 2025 season is almost here! Be sure you are up-to-date on all details for Move Ins and Car Wash. RSVP one last time before the start of summer to be sure we have all of your travel plans and arrival details. Make sure you (and your parents!) have signed up for our email list. Important information will be sent out throughout the summer via our email list.

REGISTRATION

Parents and students will begin the check-in process at Washington Middle School beginning at 6:00 PM on Friday, June 6. Click here for a Google Map of the facility. We will register and unload equipment followed by a brief full corps meeting. After the meeting, we will split into sectionals and then have a light snack with lights out at 11:00 PM. Students will sleep in the gym, and parents are welcome to stay at the school in the volunteer room.

If you must arrive earlier than 6:00 PM on Friday, you can be dropped off at the Colts corps hall and we will shuttle students to Washington shortly after 6:00 PM. The address for the corps hall is 2300 Twin Valley Dr., Dubuque, IA 52003.

If you are unable to be dropped off on Friday night, Colt Cadets can also be dropped off directly at their car wash location on Saturday morning and we will get you checked in for summer following the car wash on Saturday afternoon. A list of assignments will be emailed prior to the weekend.

COLTS CAR WASH DETAILS

Wake up at Washington Middle School will be at 8:00 AM on Saturday, June 7. Those staying at the school will eat breakfast and pack a sack lunch for the day. Members will be provided transportation by Colts vehicles to their car wash sites to arrive by 9:30 AM. The car wash is from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM. Students arriving on Saturday should bring their own sack lunch, and students should stagger their 30-minute lunch breaks in the middle of the day. It is very important to wear sunscreen, especially on your feet! Also, be sure to drink lots of water to hydrate for the rehearsal days ahead.

After 4:00 PM, Colt Cadets students will be picked up and returned to Washington Middle School in the same way they were dropped off. If you need special arrangements or help with this, contact Harlan Pfohl.

We will have our first full day of rehearsal on Sunday, June 8, before departing for our first Spring Training location — Anamosa Middle School in Anamosa, Iowa. A full itinerary of the first part of the Colt Cadets tour will be posted on the Colt Cadets Tour Schedule page.

SPRING TRAINING AIRLINE PLANS

On June 6, flights will be treated like a normal camp day. We provide ground transportation into surrounding airports (Moline or Cedar Rapids) but you MUST communicate your flight plans on your RSVP. MLI (Moline) and CID (Cedar Rapids) are closest to Dubuque and reasonable in fare. Flights should land NO LATER than 5:30 PM on Friday. If you need help finding a ride to camp, please notify us ASAP by email at harlan@colts.org. You can also help fellow members by offering a ride in your vehicle.

On any other day of move-ins, if you plan on flying, you must communicate with Harlan prior to booking a flight. We will work with you to ensure your flight plans work well with the corps travel plans.

Students with school still in session during move-ins are asked to attend evening and weekend portions of rehearsal, if they are within a reasonable distance of our housing site, so they don't fall behind. Attendance and communication are critical.

MIDSEASON BREAK AND AIRLINE PLANS

We will begin our midseason break, and no longer provide housing on July 16. For local families, student pickup following our performance in Olathe, Kansas, on July 15 will be possible, once a student’s full responsibilities are complete. We will also offer pick up from the housing location the following morning during our meal time. Parents MUST arrive before the bus departs for Dubuque, Iowa. We will also have a shuttle to the Kansas City airport (MCI) on the morning of July 16, where flights must be booked NO SOONER than 12:00 Noon. Students also have the option of taking the bus back to Dubuque for pickup with additional pickup stops tentatively in Eagleville, Missouri; Altoona, Iowa; and Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Parents MUST be at the pickup location prior to our arrival to keep the rest of our stops on schedule. Our estimated time of arrival in Dubuque is 5:00 PM.

RETURN FROM BREAK PLANS

We will have drop off at the Dubuque corps hall (2300 Twin Valley Drive, Dubuque, IA 52003) available in the afternoon. It may be simpler for some families to head directly to the housing site. At this time we are still finalizing these details, as well as which airports we can accommodate. PLEASE wait to book these flights until we know what airports we will be able to accommodate. No one wants to take a 6 hour van ride after flying into the wrong airport.

AUGUST DEPARTURE AND AIRLINE PLANS

Our official end of season dismissal will be Saturday evening, August 9, in Indianapolis, Indiana. Housing will be provided for those staying until the following morning, August 10. For those staying until Sunday morning, and planning to be picked up at the housing location, pickup MUST be during our morning mealtime. We will again have the bus available for students to take back to Dubuque with additional pickup stops along the way, tentatively in Oakwood, Illinois; Morton, Illinois; and Davenport, Iowa.

For those who will be flying home after the season, you should purchase a plane ticket out of the Indianapolis Airport (IND) no earlier than 12:00 Noon on Sunday, August 10.

SUMMER TOUR PAPERWORK

A reminder that the following paperwork must be turned in prior to you moving in with the corps. You can bring the paperwork with you when you move in or email it ahead of time to harlan@colts.org.

Car Wash \ June 7, 2025

This is a critical project for us, and the only fundraiser for which we expect everyone's participation. We ask that you collect pledges or donations with a total potential value of $150. Please make sure your pledge sheet is legible! Turn in your pledge sheet and any money collected when you check in at Washington Middle School. You can also give your pledge sheet to your site supervisor if you move in directly to your car wash site.

As in all facets of membership, we need people who are committed to the success of the Colts. When everyone does their share, we can make more than $50,000 in our one-day event! It's important to all of us, and it beats having to sell cookie dough, magazines, candy, pizzas, and whatever else. Our one and only fundraiser for members does the same thing as many small ones. The money raised from this project helps with tour expenses — especially food and fuel.

As a guideline, set a goal of an average value of $10 per pledge or donation (15 pledges of $10 each gets you to your goal). If someone asks the value of a penny per car, the typical pledge will end up being around $5.00. If we wash 500 cars at approximately 12 locations, that amounts to $5.00 per penny pledge. Some pledges will be more, some less. Remember, although you may collect money in advance, you are not required to. You do not need to collect pledges. After the car wash, we will mail letters from the office to the commitments you received. We collect these payments through the office by mail or online. We prefer to not bill for anything less than $5.00. Please keep in mind the total goal to raise $150 personally. Twenty donations of a dollar each is not satisfactory.

DCI WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS HOTEL & TICKETS

Finals Week is August 7-9, in Indianapolis, Indiana. There are still great seats and great rooms available for the best week of the summer! The Colts are excited to offer a new way to purchase your tickets for the Drum Corps International World Championships. All you need is the one link below to get seats throughout Lucas Oil Stadium for the DCI Championship events. There is no longer a “Colts block” so you now have access to many more seating options. All tickets purchased using this exclusive link will support the Colts and Colt Cadets. A portion of each sale will be given to the organization to help us deliver on our mission.

Order Tickets Today!

The Colt Cadets have DCI Open Class prelims and finals in Marion, Indiana, on Monday and Tuesday and will also be performing in World Class Prelims on Thursday in Lucas Oil Stadium. DCI Open Class Championships tickets can be purchased directly from DCI - using promo code REDTEAM63 benefits the Colt Cadets and Colts!

Hotel accommodations are available at the Courtyard by Marriott Downtown Indianapolis. You may book a room using the following link: https://book.passkey.com/go/2025DCIColts Click on VIEW ALL HOTELS to see your room options.

PARENT INFORMATION FOR SUMMER

Make sure you've signed up for our email distribution list. We will use this to communicate regularly throughout the summer. Be sure you have also joined the Colt Cadets Parents Facebook Group for updates and photos.

We still have spots open on the volunteer calendar for the summer! Please check your schedules and let us know if/when you can help. Even just a few days during Spring Training or summer tour would be incredibly helpful! You can view our Volunteer Calendar here. Remember, we can be very creative in getting you in and out of tour. Cooks, Van Drivers, and/or Those Who Sew, email ccvolunteers@colts.org. CDL Drivers, email harlan@colts.org.

Need help with travel? We are here to guide you! You can email ccvolunteers@colts.org with any questions you may have. Even one day with us helps! Come as early as you can to give us a hand (and bring fresh fruits or vegetables!).

COLT CADETS WISH LIST FOR IN-KIND DONATIONS

For our full wish list, click here!

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