After months of intense preparation and fundraising, the Niceville High School Eagle Pride Band greeted 2008 with a march through Pasadena, CA in the 119th Tournament of Roses Parade. The band's performance was televised on NBC, ABC, Univision, HGTV, Discovery HD and the Travel Channel.
Band Director Dan Wooten received dozens of text messages from friends and colleagues around the US, congratulating the band for its stellar performance. "I'm not sure words can describe what it felt like going down the parade," he said. "I felt a rush of huge pride and I felt blessed to preside over a group as good as ours. When we got to the grandstands where about 250-300 chaperones and boosters all in Niceville maroon leapt to their feet and started screaming, there were a number of kids in the band who started crying."
"That was really the best part of the parade," stated drum major Melissa Mccown. "When we saw that big crowd of maroon stand up, it was so wonderful. Our parents have been so supportive the entire time and we wouldn't have been here without them. It was like seeing our little piece of Niceville!"
The families were equally moved at the sight of the band. "When we saw the banner coming down the street and we heard the band off in the distance, it was just overwhelming," said band parent Laura Anderson, who headed the steering committee that organized the trip. "It has been an awesome, awesome experience!"
"We could see the big flag and could listen to them coming from far away," said Dr. Linda Smith, principal of Niceville High School. "We had just finished saying that we would be discreet, but that lasted about one second. When we saw them coming, we all stood up and cheered! A lot of the students told us that it gave them enough momentum to finish the parade."
The 263 students and six instructors marched five and a half miles down the parade route, playing for almost two hours straight. The television cameras were near the beginning of the parade route, around a mile and a half from the start. "When I got a call that we were on national TV, a wave of excitement came over me," said Smith. "All the people in our big block were getting phone calls. It was very exciting! My mom was watching NBC and my dad was watching ABC, flipping channels."
Mccown was excited, but "a little nervous," when she rounded the corner and saw all the cameras. "They got the three of us drum majors doing our salute to the crowd. It was our '15 seconds' of fame!" she quipped.
Wooten received a call from a friend in Cincinnati, telling him he looked like a "nervous band director" on at least one of the channels. "Yes, I was," he told his friend. He had learned the previous day that if there was too much space between the front of the unit and the horns, the broadcasters would cut to a commercial. "We didn't come all that way to miss being on TV, so I was all over that like white on rice!" he said.
"They exceeded expectations," beamed Field Marching Instructor Todd Carnahan. He was particularly pleased with a comment by a spectator at the end of the parade route, who told him: "You guys still sound great - you sound fresh!"
Another spectator along the parade route in a USC shirt congratulated the band, telling them, "I graduated from Niceville!"
Throughout their trip, the students received a lot of praise and attention. "We've been overwhelmed with compliments about our kids and about their performance. They've been great ambassadors for Niceville and for Okaloosa County," declared Wooten.
The day before the parade, the students performed before a packed stadium at Pasadena City College, with the Marine Corps band and bands from Missouri State University, El Salvador and Canada. "The kids loved it! It was one of the highlights," said Diana Thacker, whose daughter, Jessica, plays the flute in the band.
Update - January 7
The group had lunch at the Hard Rock Cafe' in Los Angeles and saw a performance of "Wicked." They also visited the Knott's Berry Theme Park. They had a formal dinner dance on the Queen Mary Wednesday evening, with the Rose Bowl president in attendance. They flew back home Thursday, January 3rd.
To view NHS in the Rose Bowl parade, click here: http://ktla.trb.com/extras/ktla/roseparade2008/lineup/lineup2008-39-niceville.html
For more information about Eagle Pride and to view more photos of the Tournament of Roses trip, visit http://www.nhseaglepride.com/
