MONTOURSVILLE -- A high school band from Lycoming County left for the Boston area Thursday for a competition and some sightseeing.
Authorities have locked down surrounding areas during the manhunt which the band trip had to deal with.
Little did those Montoursville students and chaperones know what would unfold in the Boston area after leaving for there.
School officials said everyone's safe.
The band room at Montoursville Area High School is empty while about 60 students plus chaperones are in the Boston area for a music festival.
Their plans have changed after the manhunt for the Boston Marathon bombing suspects led to an area-wide lock-down.
A morning performance in Duxbury went on as planned.
School officials said the festival was located about 45 minutes away from the focus of the manhunt and violence in Watertown.
"Uh oh, because part of the itinerary today was going into Boston, of course Cambridge, some of those areas, things changed," said Montoursville High School Principal Dan Taormina.
On Friday, the concert band originally planned to visit city landmarks and the campus of Harvard University in Cambridge.
All that changed when police closed-in on the bombing suspects.
We got to speak with the band director, Adam Wright, on the phone after the decision was made to change those plans.
"We did have plans originally to go into the city today to get a tour and walk around a little bit. That's not going to happen right now," said Wright.
On Wednesday before leaving for the trip, school administrators m with parents and students to see if they wanted to still travel to the Boston area. They did in light of Monday's bombings. Within 24 hours, things have changed and some sightseeing opportunities have had to be scaled back.
"They had a lot of time not just in planning the trip but raising the funds for it and everything else, they had over $40,000 invested in this thing," added Taormina.
And while the Montoursville band's plans have changed some, the thankful part for this community is that the students and their chaperones are a safe distance away and expected home here soon.
"The kids are very positive, everyone's having a great time, they understand the magnitude of what's going on, are willing to be flexible," said Wright.
The Montoursville Area High School band was going to have dinner in the city of Boston Friday night then see a performance.
Both have been cancelled and the band is still on schedule to return home Sunday from Massachusetts.