Nation Ford selected for Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade

Nation Ford High School musicians will be packing their bags for Thanksgiving 2017 — not to mention their brass, drums and woodwinds — and heading to New York City.

Marching band members learned Tuesday night they will be one of eight high school and 10 total bands to perform in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. The surprise announcement was made before the band’s spring concert.

It will be the school’s second trip, having performed there in 2011. It’s the third time overall a Fort Mill band will perform. Fort Mill High School traveled to the parade in 1986.

Nation Ford, the 2015 4A S.C. marching band champion, earned the honor from an applicant pool of 175 bands. Bands were chosen based on stage presence, musical and marching ability.

“Macy’s Band Selection Committee seeks bands of all sizes and we love how Nation Ford packs a big sound and makes a huge impact with such a compact size,” said Wesley Whatley, parade creative director. “Macy’s is incredibly excited to welcome back the Nation Ford High School Band.”

Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade began in 1924, then called Macy’s Christmas Parade. Annually, the parade draws more than 3.5 million live spectators and 50 million television viewers.

“It’s a household tradition in America to watch that,” said Martin Dickey, Nation Ford band director.

Dickey said his band couldn’t buy the type of exposure the parade will bring. Commercial spots during the parade could be $1 million or more, but his band earned its place through hard work. It involves industry references from well outside the program, and performances dating back years.

“The process is pretty extensive,” Dickey said. “It’s one of the few things left that you have to apply for with your band program.”

The parade isn’t looking for a flash in the pan program. Largely because bands are chosen almost two years ahead of the event.

“The band that actually goes is two years away,” Dickey said. “They want to make sure it’s a band that has tradition.”

That timing is the tricky part. While it leaves time for fundraising, juniors and seniors who heard the announcement Tuesday won’t be Nation Ford students when the band travels. Dickey typically invites recent graduates to walk with the band if they’re able to travel.

Both high school bands in Fort Mill have traveled across the country and beyond to perform. Both have visited historical and cultural sites many students wouldn’t otherwise see. What makes the Macy’s trip special, Dickey said, is how engrained the event is in American culture.

And that his band is the first repeat parade performer in state history.

“You can take bands anywhere if you have the money to travel,” Dickey said. “It always comes back to, what are the staples for American band programs? The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade is a tradition for bands.”

Lynne Hall, president of the band booster club, said Tuesday her group hadn’t discussed price or fundraising for the trip. Not everyone knew until the announcement was made during the band’s spring awards concert Tuesday night. She said prior to the announcement she was “sure that will come up” soon.

“The whole community does get behind our band, and they help out how they can,” Hall said.

The event brings back memories for Hall. Her eldest daughter, now a New York City college student, was a freshman musician the last time Nation Ford performed at the parade. Her youngest daughter was in middle school, and tagged along for the family trip.

“As a parent, it’s very exciting,” Hall said. “I was a band parent when our band program went back in 2011. It was so much fun. It was really well organized. It’s a long day, but it’s awesome.”

Unfortunately for Hall, her younger daughter will be a senior next year and won’t play the parade in 2017. The family may still make a return trip, anyway.

“It’s one of the better trips we’ve taken as a family,” she said.

Even graduating students, Hall said, can take pride in the program they helped reach the heights it has. And for younger students, they can look forward to an experience they won’t soon forget.

“It is very exciting,” Hall said. “It’s exciting for the program because it is a huge privilege that not all band programs are afforded.”

The parade follows a more than two-mile route through the city. It will include more than 8,000 participants.

This story was originally published April 26, 2016 at 8:00 PM with the headline "Nation Ford selected for Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade."