GREENDALE, Wis. — Wisconsin families can once again watch for a local band in the annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade on November 23rd. The Greendale High School Marching Band was invited for the second time (2016) to march through the heart of Manhattan this year.
“They’re looking for different types of performances,” explained Tom Reifenberg, Director of Bands at GHS. “They don’t want cookie-cutter bands that are going to do the same thing each year.”
Greendale is one of only 12 marching bands in the parade this year. It’s an early morning for the high school students, with a wake-up call around 2:00 a.m. the day of the parade.
“NBC wants to see every band perform their routine in uniform,” Reifenberg said. “The only time you can do that in NYC is the middle of the night.”
The whole parade experience culminates in a performance for television at the end of the route. Associate Director of Bands, Liz Parsons, knows from dancers and color guard to trumpets and drumline, the band needs to ramp up the energy.
“The parade route is 2 and a half miles, so it’s about an hour of marching, and then they line up and go right into the Macy’s star performance for the TV portion,” Parsons said.
We don’t know yet what number Greendale falls in the parade, but we do expect to learn that before Thanksgiving morning.
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WHAT’S ON TAP: Grammy Award winner & Wauwatosa native Grace Weber, Milwaukee Theatre Week & the iconic Wurlitzer Organ
