by Liam McCabe

With all the parades that wind through downtowns, up main streets, and across country fields, marching bands have endless opportunities to don their tall hats, toot their horns, and bang their drums as the center of a community-wide party. But even among the best of the best parades, one stands out as the ultimate destination: The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.

The parade is a tradition dating back to 1924 that has grown into a major national event. Today, more than 2 million spectators line the streets and another 44 million tune into the television broadcast to watch the bands, floats, and gigantic cartoon balloons stream down the streets of New York.

"The biggie has always been Macy’s,” says Bill Findeison, leader of The Awesome Original Second Time Arounders (The Rounders, to the hip), who marched in the 2008 parade. “It is the best parade in the country. There is absolutely no doubt that if you can get into Macy’s you have really done something.”




The Road to Herald Square

The whole process, from the application deadline up to the day of the parade, is about two years. Macy’s receives about 500 band applications each year, from which the parade committee selects just 10 to march in the Thanksgiving
Day Parade. (A representative from Macy’s says that there is no scientific method for choosing the parade bands, but talent, presentation, and character are certainly considered.) The lucky bands are notified by phone, 18 months ahead of the parade. Since the groups have to cover their own travel and accommodation costs, they need all the time they can get to raise money, especially the high school bands. Macy’s dictates the requirements for the performances
in the parade and in Herald Square, and the rest of the time is spent practicing, practicing, and practicing.

The Rounders of St. Petersburg, Florida, are a special kind of band—members are former high school, college, or military marching band members and range in age from 18 to 85. It’s a big community band for anybody that wants to give marching band one more go-around. So their experiences were unique in many ways.

The Macy’s committee was so impressed by The Rounders’ audition and story that they flew down to inform them, in
person, that they were the number one pick to march in the parade. They were also the largest band to participate, with 512 members (not to mention the family members that came along for the trip).

And since the members are all adults, the fundraising wasn’t as big of a deal— though the members certainly appreciated the 18 months they had to come up with the $1,200 for airfare, a few meals, five nights accommodations in Newark, and bus transportation between their hotel and the practice space.

On the day of the parade, the entire band departed their hotel at 2 a.m. on 14 buses for a 3:30 a.m. rehearsal, which was “a logistical nightmare,” as Findeison puts it. After a run-through of their bit, they camped out at Planet Hollywood for breakfast until 6:30 a.m. They returned to the parade route, eagerly waiting at 77th St. and Central Park West for the cue to join the parade.

"It was probably the most exciting, moving time for the band,” Findeison says. "We had people who had been wanting
to do it their whole lives, waiting for the parade to start with tears in their eyes.”

"Each parade is special, each one has its own excitement,” says Findeison, “but I can say that the Macy’s parade is the crowning jewel of everything we’ve ever done.”