Worth the Drive: USC Marching Band on Catalina Island

Worth the Drive is a twice weekly look at nearby getaways

Your job: Decide to get out of town and fast. Our job: Help you find where you're headed. This week, Worth the Drive takes us to...

Fourth of July on Catalina Island: If you know your Catalina Island, and we think you do, you can probably bet that a lot of the Fourth fun will be centered around the Casino. And you'd be right. But did you know...

The USC Marching Band will there? All dressed up and brassed out and ready to patriotic-anthem in the holiday. We can already hear the Sousa-like sounds. Chills.

Also: There's a buffet dinner going, and a 100% true-red-white-and-blue Catalina classic -- ocean-close fireworks from the Casino balcony. Chills 2.0.

Price: $40 for the grown-ups, $20 for the kids ages 3-11

The boat over: Whatever ferry the band takes, we hope they do a bit of impromptu serenading for the unsuspecting passengers. Maybe a brassy take on "Beyond the Sea"?

And where will we see them next? The band's appearance in the Fleetwood Mac video "Tusk" is still our favorite USC Marching Band appearance. But we liked seeing them at the Farmers Market 75th anniversary, too (and boy those food stalls reverberated). And now the Casino on Catalina. Nice, USC Marching Band. Always with the surprises.

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