By WMBD-TV
CENTRAL ILLINOIS – Two local students are heading to New York City to perform in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade.
Eureka High School senior Ariana Arnold will be performing in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade as a member of the color guard.
“Originally they said I was just an alternate. A couple of months later, they’re like, hey, we have a spot open. Like, do you want to go? And I’m like, yes, of course I do,” said Arnold.
She and her family have a tradition of watching the parade she’ll be performing in
“The Thanksgiving parade has always been like a tradition in my house. Like, we watch it every Thanksgiving morning, and I think it’s just fun that I had to be part of it,” she said.
At Normal West High School, junior Claire Taylor prepares to play her French horn in the parade. For her, marching in the parade isn’t just a bucket list item but engrained in her DNA.
“Both my parents marched in it, they’ve told me that it’s like really long. It’s going to be cold. So I have to, like, dress warm, and I got to have my music memorized,” said Taylor.
Normal West Band Director Ryan Budzinski said he couldn’t be more proud of his student.
“We were super excited for Claire and happy for her to have kind of a once-in-a-lifetime experience. And as you know, her parents have both marched in the parade before. So it’s a legacy thing in the family and also just an opportunity for our students to get out and see the world,” said Budzinkski.
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