CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA. (CVILLE RIGHT NOW) — UVA’s storied a capella group, the Hullabahoos, traveled to the West Coast for the first time in its 38-year history last month after winning Reser’s Fine Foods’ Good Time Jingle Competition.

The contest, held by Reser’s in commemoration of its 75th anniversary, invited college a capella groups to write and submit a jingle for the company, with Hullabahoos being selected as the grand prize winner among about 30 entries. The group won $25,000 and an additional $20,000 in travel expenses to perform their jingle at the Patricia Reser Center for the Performing Arts in Beaverton, Oregon. Reser’s also awarded an additional $30,000 in total to the 2nd, 3rd and fourth place groups.

Hullabahoos President Nick Scheper told Cville Right Now both the contest, and the trip were unique opportunities for the group. It was the first time in his recollection the Hullabahoos had written a jingle for a company, and while the group travels regularly doing international tours and other major events, this was their first trip to the West Coast.

“Having that invitation out west was very unique and something that definitely will be recorded in the history of our group,” he said.

The group wrote and recorded the jingle last year after hearing about the contest on social media. Scheper, who was the group’s Social Chair at the time, recalled how the group was preparing for its spring concert when it first heard about the context and was unsure if how much time they’d be able to dedicate to it.

“We were keeping an eye on it,” he said. “We were watching as all the entries were coming in from other groups across the United States, and it was definitely something that we wanted to take seriously, but we weren’t sure if we had the capability for it.”

But after the deadline got pushed back, the Hullabahoos were able to get to work after their concert. Teddy Price and Nick Chu spearheaded the effort for the group, with the latter wanting the song to be “super upbeat and energetic,” according to Scheper. After the song was written following a week of collaboration, the video was then filmed and submitted to the contest.

“Kind of a buzzer beater, if I remember,” Scheper said.

Reser’s Director of Corporate Communications Laura Steele told Cville Right Now it was that upbeat energy that made the Hullabahoos stand out.

“They really captured the essence of the Reser’s brand,” she said, “what our foods really stand out to be and kind of who we are as a family-owned company. They really were able to capture all of that in their jingle and their song. So, it really was a clear winner.”

The Hullabahoos were announced as the winners in June and traveled to Beaverton in early February. In addition to performing at the Reser Center, the group also performed at Reser’s corporate office, which Steele said was very fun for her and her co-workers.

“They ran in to perform the jingle and then did some other songs,” she said. “It was just like [Reser’s employees] were literally choked up. Like it was just, it was so fun. It was just so fun to see it.”

The Hullabahoos also got a free day to do some sight-seeing in Oregon. Scheper said many of the Hullabahoos, including himself, hadn’t been on the West Coast before, adding to the experience.

“We went on this beautiful hike through this rainforest,” he recalled. “I don’t even know what it was, but it was great. It was very beautiful.”

All-in-all, the Hullabahoos not only got to record Reser’s a brand-new jingle but also provided the group with a unique opportunity to perform for a brand-new audience. Scheper said after their performance at the International Guitar Night, the group spent an hour in the lobby, chatting with attendees. The Hullabahoos’ President said many of the attendees had enough music insight to be able to identify the musicality of what the group was doing, leading to invaluable feedback.

“We tend to kind of get in a bubble,” Scheper said. “We’re in Charlottesville, it’s a college town. We have our friends. We have our huge acapella community. Being able to step out of that, especially in Beaverton, which was such an accepting community, being able to step out of that and try something with a new group of people that doesn’t know what to expect from us is super rewarding.”