We all have wonderful memories of Thanksgiving when we were kids, when we were dating (who’s relatives do you go to? ahhh), when the kids were little etc. etc. Can you pick one that was beyond amazing? Have they all been amazing? Did family drama intrude? Did someone make squash and actually forget to serve it? Did someone eat the turkey neck? Was there pizza instead of turkey? What if Thanksgiving was the longest holiday ever but still unforgettable? It was for me in 2002….
I was in my 8th year of teaching band and also working with the high school marching band, who had performed in The Macy’s Parade in 1978 but had not been back to Manhattan since. Apparently there was festival band drama with some organizer and my town was blacklisted (who knew THAT was a thing). Anyway, the fearless and loved by all Salem High Blue Devil director Marty had been sending in audition tapes for years trying to get us back to New York City for the epic balloon filled spectacle that is Macy’s and, in 2002, we were accepted. The rest of my family was headed to an uncle’s place in upstate NY, and so I was set to go with the band and a bunch of parents as a staff/chaperone. I was still moving around pretty well back then and so some warm clothes, my manual wheelchair and some snacks was all I needed. 205 high school kids on 6 busses rolling into New Jersey (home base hotel) for a few days in NYC was going to be a fun adventure with a bunch of kids that I had taught to play. I would now get to be IN the parade and watch them play on national TV in front of Macy’s downtown Manhattan location. Top it off with my NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS playing the same day and a turkey dinner at the hotel that night……followed by a trip to see The Rockettes at Radio City Music Hall, a trip up the Empire State Building, a Broadway show, shopping and it was set to be a great holiday and weekend. While extremely cold, it was AWESOME. I am sure that you have seen the parade on TV, however there’s a ton of cool stuff that no one mentions…
Here are a few behind the scenes things that you never knew about this parade:
- EVERY float, and band goes to the filming location at 3:30-4:00 AM for a run-through. There are huge lights set up and it is otherwise pitch black and was FREEZING cold when we got there. It’s organized chaos in the streets as everyone needs to be in uniform and has almost no time to run, line up and play your 90 second clip so the cameras know where the shots are. Mind you this was only a year after the towers fell, so security was also nuts. After this, 205 annoyed sleepy high school kids change out of their uniforms, load tons of stuff under the coach busses and then….
- At approximately 5:00-7:00 AM every band in the parade from around the U.S. (18-20 bands all with huge numbers) go into the department store to have a complimentary hot breakfast. This was amazing as we all sat around big tables on different floors of the department store! The staff moves tons of product out of the way as they rolled in buffet trays of eggs, waffles, fruit, bacon and sausage. It’s the Macy’s way of saying “Thanks for traveling and playing in the parade.”
- Just when you are now warm, full, and have been up since 2:30 AM, it’s time to board the busses (after everyone uses the Macy’s bathroom…since there are no more pee breaks until the parade ends) and drive up to Central Park West for another security check of all kids and instruments. It’s now around 8:00 AM and we line up to “step off” as they say in parade lingo. The temperature is 23 F and it is breezy. I don’t remember who pushed my chair the length of the parade, but I do remember heaping on blankets, hand and foot warmers and trying to fend off the cold that was seeping into my bones. I was pumped to be in this thing, but I knew that my body was gonna pay…
- We step off sometime just after 10 AM and when this parade goes, it goes on time and fast. The kids didn’t need to worry about staying warm as they marched at a good clip behind some float with professional wrestlers on board. Hey, at least we weren’t behind the horses right? 2.5 miles down the middle of Manhattan and watched live by 3.5 million people with another 50 million people watching on TV.
- The kids nailed it and did a great job performing. Click the link here to see us!
- As we came down Broadway the wind was killing us and it was oh so cold…but we kept waving** and smiling. When we were done and thawed out, I told a bunch of the kids that I would meet them in the hotel lounge to watch football but I never made it. A hot shower and I passed out on my bed for about 3 hours. I DO remember having a great turkey dinner and a very cool Thanksgiving weekend in NYC with memories of being in the biggest parade on Earth. Dream big. Always.
Stay awesome, stay safe and stay tuned.
*** Side note: YES, if you can believe it, as we rolled down Broadway, a family on the sidewalk off to my right yelled: “Moeschen! Hey, it’s Moeschen!” I kid you not….my school principal and her family had made the drive down from NH and were watching the parade. WOO! Global fame. haha
Patrick moeschen 