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STORY SUBMITTED BY
CHARLIE ZIMMERMAN
While Dani Boley and her family often watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade while cooking for Thanksgiving dinner, they have other plans this year.
The Washington Community High School junior has been selected to join more than 200 other student musicians from around the country to march in the 2011 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City. She will be a member of the Macy’s Great American Marching Band, joined by fellow Washington junior Paige Zimmerman, who was also in the band last year.
First formed in 2006, the Great American Marching Band will lead the parade this year as it travels from Central Park to Herald Square. With representatives from all 50 states and the District of Columbia, the band will be cheered by 2.5 million live spectators. After winding its way through Manhattan, the band will arrive in front of Macy’s flagship store in Herald Square to perform for more than 50 million TV viewers watching the broadcast on NBC. This year’s edition will mark the 85th anniversary of the world-famous event.
The opportunity to join the Macy’s band was open to students from 14,000 high schools across the United States, with participants selected on the basis of their musical ability and achievements.
One of four drum majors this year for the Washington Community High School marching band, Boley plays the flute in the WCHS Symphonic Winds, directed by Jim Tallman. She also plays the piccolo. And, for the past two years, Boley has also attended the Smith Walbridge marching band and leadership clinics held at Eastern Illinois University.
The band will be under the direction of Dr. Richard Good, director of bands at Auburn University, and Ohio State University’s Dr. Jon Woods, director of the award-winning, “Pride of the Buckeyes” Ohio State University Marching Band.
Members of the band will arrive in New York the Saturday before Thanksgiving, and will have daily rehearsals leading up to the parade. The band will stay in a hotel 12 miles from New York City and practice at the nearby Teaneck (New Jersey) Soccer Coliseum.
Along with their daily rehearsals, band members will go to the World Trade Center Tribute Center, the Top of the Rock observation deck in Rockefeller Center and attend a Broadway performance of “Sister Act.”
The students will also attend an educational leadership workshop, encouraging students to achieve their maximum potential. Early on Thanksgiving morning, the band will travel Herald Square for a pre-dawn dress rehearsal in front of Macy’s and then assemble near Central Park for the beginning of the parade.
STORY SUBMITTED BY
CHARLIE ZIMMERMAN
While Dani Boley and her family often watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade while cooking for Thanksgiving dinner, they have other plans this year.
The Washington Community High School junior has been selected to join more than 200 other student musicians from around the country to march in the 2011 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City. She will be a member of the Macy’s Great American Marching Band, joined by fellow Washington junior Paige Zimmerman, who was also in the band last year.
First formed in 2006, the Great American Marching Band will lead the parade this year as it travels from Central Park to Herald Square. With representatives from all 50 states and the District of Columbia, the band will be cheered by 2.5 million live spectators. After winding its way through Manhattan, the band will arrive in front of Macy’s flagship store in Herald Square to perform for more than 50 million TV viewers watching the broadcast on NBC. This year’s edition will mark the 85th anniversary of the world-famous event.
The opportunity to join the Macy’s band was open to students from 14,000 high schools across the United States, with participants selected on the basis of their musical ability and achievements.
One of four drum majors this year for the Washington Community High School marching band, Boley plays the flute in the WCHS Symphonic Winds, directed by Jim Tallman. She also plays the piccolo. And, for the past two years, Boley has also attended the Smith Walbridge marching band and leadership clinics held at Eastern Illinois University.
The band will be under the direction of Dr. Richard Good, director of bands at Auburn University, and Ohio State University’s Dr. Jon Woods, director of the award-winning, “Pride of the Buckeyes” Ohio State University Marching Band.
Members of the band will arrive in New York the Saturday before Thanksgiving, and will have daily rehearsals leading up to the parade. The band will stay in a hotel 12 miles from New York City and practice at the nearby Teaneck (New Jersey) Soccer Coliseum.
Along with their daily rehearsals, band members will go to the World Trade Center Tribute Center, the Top of the Rock observation deck in Rockefeller Center and attend a Broadway performance of “Sister Act.”
The students will also attend an educational leadership workshop, encouraging students to achieve their maximum potential. Early on Thanksgiving morning, the band will travel Herald Square for a pre-dawn dress rehearsal in front of Macy’s and then assemble near Central Park for the beginning of the parade.
The whirlwind week will wrap up later that night with a Thanksgiving dinner and dance back at the hotel.
Boley gave flute lessons and worked at The PIT and Attic Treasures to help pay for the trip. Regardless of the cost, Boley is excited to go to New York to meet new people, try new things, see the sights in New York — especially a musical on Broadway — fly there with Zimmerman and be a part of a national tradition.
Zimmerman is also excited to be in the parade this year, and having been there last year, thinks it will be even more fun having a friend along. The two have been friends since taking tap lessons together years ago, and flew out together Saturday.
Boley is the daughter of Frank and Marla Boley, who will also be traveling to New York City with their other daughter, Frankie, to see the parade. They feel this is kind of a once-in-a-lifetime experience for her.
“I think it is a great opportunity for Dani to meet other high school musicians in a unique environment ... kind of like the national travel edition of honor band, rather than just within our state of Illinois,” said her mother, Marla.
Boley’s Auntie Mari Naito is also coming from Honolulu, Hawaii, to see her march in the parade, and other family members living in the area are expected to come as well.
Zimmerman’s parents, Charlie and Missy Zimmerman, and her sister Corinne will also be on hand to see the parade as well.
They are looking forward to getting up early on Thanksgiving morning to see the dress rehearsal, as well as seeing the parade balloons being inflated the night before.
Watch this year’s Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade at 9 a.m. Thursday on NBC.
