A part of history

250-member band from four Baldwin schools embark on week-long tour before taking part in historic Thanksgiving Day parade

Posted 11/18/16

FAIRHOPE, Alabama — Band members from four Baldwin County schools will be a part of history, touring Washington, D.C., and New York City before participating in the ABC Dunkin’ Donuts …

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A part of history

250-member band from four Baldwin schools embark on week-long tour before taking part in historic Thanksgiving Day parade

Fairhope band.
Fairhope band.
JOHN UNDERWOOD / GCM FILE PHOTOS
Posted

FAIRHOPE, Alabama — Band members from four Baldwin County schools will be a part of history, touring Washington, D.C., and New York City before participating in the ABC Dunkin’ Donuts Philadelphia Thanksgiving Day Parade next week.
Nearly 250 select band members from Baldwin County High School, Daphne High School, Robertsdale High School and Fairhope High School will participate, said Wayne Fillingim, director of bands for Fairhope High School.
The students, along with parents, school officials and other chaperones, will leave Saturday from Daphne High School on eight charter buses.
They will spend a day in the nation’s capital on Sunday, then tour New York on Monday and Tuesday, including a Broadway show and visits to Ellis Island and Liberty Island before touring Philadelphia on Wednesday.
The combined band will march in the ABC Dunkin’ Donuts Philadelphia Thanksgiving Day Parade, which will air on ABC. The band is set to march through the television broadcast area at 8:48 a.m. (9:48 EST) Thanksgiving morning.
According to visitphilly.com, the 1.4-mile parade is the oldest Thanksgiving parade in the country, celebrating its 97th year in 2016.
“The band, directors, parents and students have been planning the trip since January,” said Fillingim in a written release. “The 250-member band has rehearsed multiple times together and will march in their respective uniforms in the parade.”
Following the parade on Thursday, the group will have a traditional Thanksgiving dinner at the Field House Restaurant in Philadelphia before traveling back to Baldwin County. They will arrive back at Daphne High School on Friday afternoon.
Activities for the trip were arranged through Springdale Travel of Mobile, Fillingim said.
Submitted information courtesy Wayne Fillingim, Fairhope High School, with additional reporting by Onlooker co-editor John Underwood.