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By Stephen Dawkins | Photos by James Washer

Like many across the country, Kaden Vanderford grew up watching the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade wind through the streets of Manhattan each year. As a member of the Helena High School Band, Vanderford began researching how to be part of the parade.

Vanderford went through the application process, including submitting a recording of himself playing the clarinet, and was eventually selected to participate—the first Helena band member to be chosen for the honor.

But Vanderford did not stop there. He convinced four other bandmates to apply, and all five participated in the parade on Nov. 28.

“I’ve always loved the Macy’s parade, and I kind of started looking into how to be a part of it,” Vanderford says. “I think it’s cool that I get to be in a group that’s made up of people from around the country, and it’s a really big honor to be in the Macy’s parade in general. I was excited to perform in front of millions of people on TV, but I was also excited to do it with some of my best friends.”

The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade has been held every year since 1924, tying it for the second-oldest Thanksgiving parade in the United States, behind only Philadelphia’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. The Macy’s parade has been televised nationally on NBC since 1953, with more than 44 million people typically watching the parade.

Jeff Burnside, director of bands at Helena High School, is happy for the school to have its first participants in the Macy’s parade, and of course, happy for the students.

“It’s good publicity for the band—they’re not doing it for that, but it’s a chance to show how active the kids are with the band and their music outside of what we do here at school,” Burnside says.

Burnside has first-hand knowledge about the unique experience they are in for: both of his children have participated in the parade. Burnside’s daughter Kaitlyn went in 2009, and Burnside’s son Andrew went in 2009, 2011 and 2012.

Burnside was at Pelham High School when his children participated, before the opening of Helena High School in 2014. Kaitlyn Traylor was the first student drum major in the Macy’s parade, and she met her husband (who is now the assistant band director at Helena) while participating in the parade.

“New York is a great place to go visit,” Burnside says. “Getting a chance to go do that parade is a highlight for what most people would get to do as far as marching band goes—where the parade goes, the sights, the significance for the holidays and TV and all that. It’s a really neat experience if you get a chance to do it. They do a good job with the parade. It’s very well done. It’s a lot of fun.”

The participants flew into New York, and on their first day there, received their instruments, were fitted for uniforms, and got set up in a hotel. Each day leading up the parade included practice in the mornings and opportunities for sightseeing in the afternoons.

The first bandmates to join Kaden were Dylan Strickland and Thomas Washer. “I was helping Kaden with his audition, and he was like, ‘You should try out for it for,’ and I thought that was a great idea. I know it’s an experience I won’t forget,” Strickland says.

“Once Kaden applied and got accepted, he convinced me it would be awesome for our senior year to go up to New York and do this experience,” Washer says.

Then it was Harrison Frith’s turn to jump onboard, and last was Gabe Day, who is a sophomore. Day received a phone call from Burnside that the parade organizers were still looking for one participant, and he sent in his application and was accepted.

The bandmates all said they enjoyed the parade experience and spending time in New York.

“New York is a cool city,” Frith says. “I got to be there with my friends and explore, and meet people from across the country.”

“It’s something we will tell our grandkids about,” Washer adds.