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My once-in-a-lifetime opportunity

... performing in the 82nd Annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade

By Emily Reid ('09)
Photos by Annemarie Poyo Furlong

Emily Reid ('09)

Emily Reid ('09)

On November 26, 2008, I was one of nearly 500 Marching Royal Dukes to make their way to the Big Apple--New York City. For the second time, the MRDs were asked to participate in a Thanksgiving tradition--we would march in the 82nd Annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for many of us.

As my bus approached NYC, a chorus of "oohs and ahhs" filled my ears. While I have been to other areas of New York before, like many other MRDs, this was my first time seeing the city. When we arrived at our hotel, the streets were crowded with people and our overwhelming band tried to unload as quickly as possible. With over 20 floors, this hotel was bigger than almost any building I've seen in Virginia.

Early morning preview

After getting settled in our hotel rooms, we were advised to get a good dinner and some rest because we had to meet together before the sun came up to go to Herald Square and run through our performance for NBC. On Thursday at 3 a.m. we gathered in the hotel and took our buses to Herald Square. I saw some of the other bands that would perform in the parade, and suddenly everything became real--we were actually going to be in Macy's! A mere three run-throughs were all NBC needed to see from us, and we were off to our hotel to relax and have breakfast.

JMU's Marching Royal Dukes

JMU's Marching Royal Dukes

Following Shrek through the streets of NYC

At 6:30 a.m. we left our hotel to line up for the parade. The weather was clear and the sun was shining--a perfect day for a parade! Time crept along and as I warmed up in my section, I was able to see some of the different balloons and floats that would be in Macy's. One green ogre caught my eye, and I soon learned that we would be following the large "Shrek" balloon throughout the entire parade. When it was finally time for us to enter the street, we created our formation as quickly as possible and after we were announced, we began the parade route. Alternating between "76 Trombones" and "1941," we played as millions of people watched us on the streets. Everyone was excited to see us, and it was truly humbling to not only represent our university--but also Virginia--in such a positive way.

When the parade portion was over, we arrived at Herald Square to give our big performance of "Sing, Sing, Sing" that would be televised on NBC. The whistles sounded, and we were off to give our show. Although it only lasted a couple of minutes, I was bursting with excitement as we played. One of the best parts of our show was the end when we paraded out of Herald Square playing JMU's Fight Song, a piece that showed our complete pride for our university.

JMU's Marching Royal Dukes made their second appearance in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in 2008, their first performance in the parade was in 2001.

JMU's Marching Royal Dukes made their second appearance in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in 2008, their first performance in the parade was in 2001.

"Were we really there?"

After taking a group picture with people crowding the streets to get a shot of us themselves, I followed my other band members back to our buses. I said out loud to a friend, "Were we really just in Macy's Thanksgiving Parade?" The experience seemed so surreal that none of us could believe it was over.

After an excitement-filled Thanksgiving Thursday, the MRDs had Friday to sleep in and have a free day in the city. I saw two attractions--the Empire State Building and Central Park, and other band members visited Little Italy, the Museum of Modern Art, and other major city attractions.

Supporting JMU football

On Saturday, we left the Big Apple early in the morning. We arrived on Madison's campus in just enough time to change into our uniforms on the bus and march into the stadium to support the JMU football team in their victory against Wofford in the opening round of the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision playoffs.

From the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade to the playoff football game, the Marching Royal Dukes are the epitome of school spirit, and I am truly proud to be able to call myself an MRD.

About the author

Marching Royal Duke Emily Reid ('09), an English major, interns for JMU's "Be the Change" communications campaign.