Over 100 years of tradition, with only one Kansas band getting to be apart of it
WAMEGO (KSNT) - Thanksgiving is just under two weeks away which means the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade is defrosting for its shinning moment.
But a fun fact you may not know is that one Kansas high school band has made it in the parade.
27 news found out how Wamego's Red Raider Band got to be apart of this prestigious parade in the Big Apple.
The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade got its start 100 years ago. This thanksgiving, The Wamego Red Raiders Band is getting to celebrate being a part of this legacy 50 years ago in 1974.
From sending in videos, tapes and photos of the their then halftime performance, this once in a lifetime experience is something band director John Childs will never forget.
"Blessed with a good kids, real good kids. They were just almost like part of my family," John Childs, band director of the Red Raiders in 1974, said. "That meant a lot. Dianne doing so much with it and doing it together made it that more special."
Having this once in a lifetime experience also comes with great honor as the Red Raiders Band is still the only band from Kansas to perform in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in the past 100 years.
Childs says he's astounded that the band was accepted to perform.
"I knew we were good, but I didn't know whether we could compete with marching with some of the big stuff that they had with all the other things, dancers and stuff with it. I wondered how we would compete with that," Childs said.
Not only did this experience get them to the Big Apple from the Little Apple, but they were able to experience all things New York including the New York City Ballet, the Radio City Rockettes and the iconic Statue of Liberty.
Members of the band, Childs and the current director of the Red Raiders Band got to celebrate this achievement over the summer, when a video of the performance was digitized.
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