More than 400 members of the UMass marching band head to New York this week to perform in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. The UMass band is one of 11 chosen for the huge televised event.
"Every marching band kid thinks the craziest thing you could do is perform in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade," said UMass sophomore Abby Ogwang, a flute player from Dracut. "So I'm really excited and grateful for the opportunity."
"Not every baton twirler gets to twirl at a university, let alone the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. So it's huge," Lilly Barnett, a junior from Texas, said. "And I'm excited to do that with four other amazing baton twirlers. And it's going to be a good time."
Ogwang and Barnett both remember watching the parade on TV as kids.
"My mom always had the TV set up and we would be watching it from the living room and running in and out of the kitchen ... to go watch the parade," Barnett said. "It's a family tradition and it's cool to be actually in it this year. So they're all excited to watch from home."
Barnett's dad is actually driving up to see the parade and then spend Thanksgiving with her.
Ogwang's mom and sister are also headed to New York to watch the parade in-person.
After a quick trip home to Dracut for Thanksgiving dinner, Ogwang is due back in Amherst for this Saturday's home football game against UConn — the last of the season.
"The last month, [we've] been trying to piggyback two things at one time, getting prepared for [the parade]," UMass marching band director Timothy Todd Anderson said. "And we also had the regular UMass football schedule, so half-time shows and that stuff. So it's not like we can just put that on hold — even this week."
This is the second time Anderson has taken the UMass band to the Macy's parade. The first was in 2013, shortly after Anderson arrived at the school.
"We kind of did it somewhat on the cheap on that one and I kind of ... put the whole thing together myself," he said.
A few years later, when the marching band traveled to the Rose Bowl parade, Anderson asked UMass to hire a professional travel agent. The school did the same for this week's trip to New York.
"It was a ton of fun in 2013. But this is going to be even better because — having a professional organization ... they open doors that I couldn't get if I was doing it on my own," he said.
The travel agent is coordinating the four-day trip, including a joint performance on Wednesday morning with a band from the University of South Carolina.
On Thursday morning, the band will march the 2.5-mile parade route, culminating with a 75-second televised performance in front of Macy's. Anderson said he isn't allowed to share any details of the routine.
"They keep that pretty well under wraps. What I will say is that ... we chose music that would have ... a very direct reflection on UMass," he said. "I'll leave it at that."
Anderson said the band is excited to represent not just the university but the whole state.
"We kind of view this as, our band is the commonwealth's band," he said.
