Getting stuck in a warmer place this week doesn’t sound so bad, right? But getting home could cost one Minnesota high school choir tens of thousands of dollars.

WCCO has been following Kennedy High School’s standout show choir, Rhythm in Gold, for a few years. 

“We have had a pretty incredible season,” their instructor, Matthew Dymoke, said.

They got invited to Nationals during Oscar weekend in sunny California.  

“We were able to take home our fifth straight grand champion trophy against some really great California schools,” Dymoke said.

“Instant tears, instant sobbing and also we are all seniors, and it was our last competition and we are just so excited for our group,” team captains Indigo Gabriel, Aubree Fugleberg and Gigi Olanda Dominguez said.

But what seemed like a Hollywood ending was not because of a monstrous Midwest snowstorm.  

“We got an email that said your flight for Sunday night has been canceled. My goal was to get 88 people on a plane, train, bus, some sort of way home as quickly as possible. No rebooking on an app,” Dymoke said.

“There’s a lot of, ‘Oh, now we are stuck in California, we are never gonna leave Hollywood, it’s such a shame.'” Indigo said.

They made the most of their time, trading dismal weather for Disneyland. 

For the next adventure, after some extra airport time, they’ll fly to Salt Lake, then Denver and bus home with quite a story to tell.

“Yeah, once I get back and process this and take a nap, we are gonna be able to have a couple of laughs,” Dymoke said.

The Bloomington Kennedy choir is accepting donations online to help cover travel expenses. They think it will probably cost about $30,000 get everyone home.

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