Hi-Tops in Boise

I've written before about our family's connection to Buena Park, CA-based Hi-Tops, and of Michelle's brother Michael and how he performed with them for 26 years up until his death just over four years ago.

We had a very special treat this past weekend, as the Hi-Tops were in Boise to perform at the 2009 Special Olympics World Winter Games. Over 2,500 athletes from more than 100 nations are in Boise this week, and the Hi-Tops are in town to entertain them. This past Friday night, we invited them for a pizza fest at our church building, and afterwards they treated us to a great show, featuring all of their numbers (including two that had never been performed before).

It really was a great event, and all in attendance were deeply moved. It's tough not to be affected by this group; they're very inspiring. Our hats are off to Sandy Garcia, their director, and all of the volunteers who work so hard to make this such an awesome group!

For some reason, I'm having a hard time uploading photos to the blog, though I took well over 100 on Friday night. To see all of the photos/videos I've posted, please check our Flickr site (click here). They're also in two separate albums in Facebook (here and here).

Embedded below is a video of the group performing to Neil Diamond's "America." This was by far one of Michael's favorite Hi-Tops numbers, and our family can barely watch it without crying our eyes out!