Macy's invites Davis High School band to march in 2017 Thanksgiving parade

Confetti flew at Davis High School on Monday morning as the school's marching band was invited to participated in the 2017 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City.

Wesley Whatley, the parade's creative director, made the announcement and gifted the school with a drum head featuring the 2017 parade logo.

He said Davis High was among 10 schools selected to march in the parade out of roughly 200 applicants.

"I'm here today because I believe that the music students at Davis High School are some of the finest music students in the country," he said.

The announcement was bittersweet for junior and senior students in the program, who will have graduated from the school before their classmates make the trip to New York City.

Ellysa Kauffold, a flautist and a junior, said she will be cheering on her younger brother and friends in November 2017.

"This is something we've been working toward for a long time," she said. "To see the work have some success is pretty great."

And Beau Denhalther, a junior and mellophone player, compared the announcement to the pride parents feel watching their children succeed.

"The excitement doesn't really die," he said. "Your band is a family."

For the younger students, like sophomore trumpeter Josh Pound, Monday's announcement kicks off more than a year of rehearsals and fundraising to prepare for the trip.

"We'll be great," he said. "No worries."

The 2017 parade will be the first time Davis High School has participated in the event, among the most recognized annual parades in the United States and presented each year by the Macy's department store chain.

In 2013, the school marched in the Rose Parade, held each year on New Year's Day in Pasadena, Calif., ahead of the Rose Bowl college football game.

Davis High band director Steven Hendricks said he was relieved after Monday's announcement.

"I've known for a long time and it's been very difficult for me to keep my mouth shut," he said.

Hendricks has directed the band for 26 years and will retire in 2018.

He said the invitation to the Macy's parade solidifies Davis High as one of the top band programs in the country and will help the school transition to a new band director.

"I'm hoping this gives us that little kick for the person who replaces me to continue and maintain the level of expectation," he said. "It will set him or her up with lots of kids in the program."

bwood@sltrib.com

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