Two Lehigh Valley marching bands will hit the streets of Philadelphia for a historical Thanksgiving event on Thursday – one of them for the first time ever. WDIY’s Sarit Laschinsky has more.
Both the Parkland School District and Bethlehem Area School District will see some of their students taking part in the annual 6abc Dunkin’ Thanksgiving Day Parade in Philadelphia on Nov. 24.
The Parkland High School Trojan Marching Band will be taking part in the parade for the first time in the school’s history, according to a district release.
The band will be playing “Merry Gent,” a piece written by Parkland music teacher Mark Figueroa specifically for the parade performance, which is a modern take on the song “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen.”
BASD, meanwhile, said earlier this week on social media that the East Hills Middle School Marching Band will also be taking part in the parade – the only middle school band to be featured.
A total of 12 marching band bands will perform, with schools from Indiana, Ohio, Virginia and New Jersey joining Pennsylvania bands from Pocono Mountain East and Pennsbury high schools, along with Parkland and East Hills.
The Philadelphia Thanksgiving Day Parade is described as the oldest Thanksgiving parade in the United States, dating back to 1920 and having continued through the Great Depression and World War II.
The broadcast of the televised parade starts at 8:30 a.m. Thanksgiving Day with a pre-show, and coverage of the event itself starts at 9 a.m.
(Original air-date: 11/22/22)
