HHS Band ready for Philadelphia trip
The word is “go” for Hartselle High School’s marching band as it looks forward to spending four days in New York and Philadelphia, Pa., during Thanksgiving week.
A highlight of the chartered bus trip will be to march in the 6ABC – Dunkin’ Donuts Thanksgiving Day Parade in Philadelphia Thur., Nov. 27, at 8 a.m. EST. It will broadcast online at 6abc.com beginning at 7:30 a.m. CST.
Hartselle’s band will appear as the 13th of 21 high school bands in the parade. It will play “Disco Inferno,” the opening number of the halftime shows it has performed during the football season.
“We will leave from the high school campus on Sunday afternoon,” said band director Randall Key, “and should arrive in New York City at 2 p.m. Monday.”
A two-day NYC itinerary will include a tour of Times Square, a dinner cruise on the Hudson River and a Broadway show featuring the Blue Man Group.
The 112-member party, including chaperones, will visit the historic district in Philadelphia Wednesday and prepare for a busy Thanksgiving Day. They will have a 4:30 a.m. wake-up call and be in position to line up for the parade at 7 a.m. A Thanksgiving dinner at a famous restaurant will follow the parade, after which the trip home will begin. The group is expected to arrive home about noon Friday.
“We want this to be a fun trip for our students,” Key said. “For some, it will be a once-in-a-lifetime experience. We also want to represent our school and community well and encourage those back home to tune in on their televisions to see how we sound and look performing on a national stage.”
“We also want to express our appreciation to the many individuals and businesses that supported the band through the fundraising process and helped make the trip possible,” Key added.