Franklin Regional marching band chosen to march in 2019 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade
The Franklin Regional Panther Marching Band is headed back to the Big Apple.
Band students in grades 7 through 10 got quite a surprise Tuesday morning, as Macy's Creative Director Wesley Whatley announced that they'd been chosen to march in the 2019 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City.
"The crew that you put on the field is top-notch," Whatley said. "It's on par with the best bands in the U.S."
Macy's officials sort through more than 100 applications each year, and this year whittled it down to nine.
"This marching band is no stranger to our parade," Whatley said, noting that Panther students have marched in the parade in 2003 and 2009.
For sophomore and future drum major Lydia Kline, 16, it's a brand-new experience, and it's the biggest thing on her calendar in the next 18 months.
"I'm going to be a senior that year, which means I'll be the head drum major for Macy's, which is beyond amazing and beyond cool for me," Kline said.
Students were called to the auditorium thinking they would be taking a group photo for the Tribune-Review, before Band Director Kevin Pollock joined Whatley onstage to make the surprise announcement.
"Mr. Pollock has been talking about Macy's for a few years, and nobody thought it was real," Kline said. "But when they called us all in here, and I saw the seventh- and eighth-graders were here, I knew it had to be a bigger deal than just a photo for the Trib."
Pollock said he is just as geared up for the trip as his students.
"It's no less exciting the third time," he said.
Macy's spokeswoman Christine Nealon said the company makes band selections 18 months in advance to give bands plenty of time to do fundraising.
Seniors Sean Vannatta and Ashley Li, who have marched in the Rose Bowl Parade in 2016 and the inauguration parade for President Donald Trump last year, said it will involve plenty of fun, but also plenty of work.
"They can expect a lot of early days," Vannatta said.
"It's a lot of work to prepare for the actual parade, but once you get there it's a lot of fun," Li said.
District Superintendent Gennaro Piraino thanked Vannatta, Li, and the other juniors and seniors in attendance, who will not be around in 2019.
"You and your efforts made this possible for future generations," Piraino said. "You're part of something that very few schools, not just across our region, but across our nation, get to experience."
Patrick Varine is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at 724-850-2862, pvarine@tribweb.com or via Twitter @MurrysvilleStar.
