Homewood band to play in Macy's Thanksgiving Parade

Homewood High and Middle school band students thought they were meeting the descendant of a famous composer, but they got a much better surprise instead.

Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade creative director Wesley Whatley came to Homewood Monday morning to announce that the marching band has been invited to play in the world-famous parade in 2018. This is the ninth time the band has been invited.

HHS Band Director Ron Pence, who has attended three other Thanksgiving parades with the band, most recently in 2011, said it was very difficult to keep the news secret from his students and assistant band directors until the official announcement. He even kept the news from his own son, eighth grade percussionist Sam Pence.

"This is such an incredible event for our students, our school," Ron Pence said. "To be able to go back a fourth time is unimaginable."

Sam Pence said he was "really surprised" to learn that the band, including him, would perform in 2018. Watching the parade is a Thanksgiving tradition at his house, he said, and he's looking forward to performing for an audience of millions. Ron Pence said it's "overwhelming" to be able to attend the parade with his son.

Band students from the middle and high schools were gathered at the HHS auditorium on April 17 under the guise of watching the Chamber Winds band be conducted by the great-great-great grandson of famed composer John Philip Sousa. Whatley did conduct the band as they performed Sousa's well-known "Washington Post" march.

After the piece, Whatley stopped and faced the audience, revealing that he was no relation of Sousa. Boos from the audience turned to excited whispers as he added, "but I think my position is going to be even better news." When he announced the band's invitation to the parade, the whispers turned into thunderous cheers.

"It's my belief that the Homewood High School band is one of the best bands in the country," Whatley said. "There are only a small handful of schools that have received the invitation to perform even near that number of times."

Whatley said only 10 marching bands from across the nation were invited this year - two from colleges and eight from high schools. One of his favorite parts of the job is traveling from school to school to make these official announcements.

"We get to travel around and spread joy," Whatley said. "What we love about Homewood is their pageantry and their ability to put on a show."

Whatley presented Ron Pence and the band with a drumhead with the 2018 parade logo on it. All the band members were also given confetti poppers and instructed to give the same cheer that starts every Thanksgiving parade: "Let's have a parade!"

Ron Pence said every time he has participated in the parade is special and full of unique memories. The students that participate in 2018 will be up for about 36 hours straight by the time they reach the end of the parade route, but it's always "magical," he said. His favorite part is the 2 a.m. rehearsal in front of the Macy's store in Manhattan on Thanksgiving Day.

"The streets are quiet except for our band," Ron Pence said. "People wait a lifetime to go be part of this."