I had such a great time being a part of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Being able to sing with a star on the coolest float in the parade was a pleasure. Being on tv and watched by billions of people was also a pleasure! When I got there I was so excited that I did not realize how cold it was, until it was 8 o'clock and all of a sudden it felt like the temperature dropped 10 degrees!
And to think that our float didn't move for another 2 and a half hours made it challenging.
By the time the float was about to move my feet were already frozen! During the parade we had to wave the whole time (I felt like my arm was about to fall off),and I kept counting down the blocks as we went. In the end we pulled off a great show and did the best performance ever. :-)
-Malaia, Cantare
My dad and mom take me to the parade every year. I watch the floats and the balloons pass us by and wonder how it would feel to be on a float. This year my dream came true. It was better than what I imagined. I did not only ride the float and wave to millions of people (my arm still hurts from all the waving) - my friends and I sang for 65 million people on TV! I felt like a King. It was a lot of fun rehearsing at the NBC studios and at night in Macy’s Herald Square. There were thousands of people there. It was really exciting.
The cookies we got at Macy's were good too. Also, my school was proud of me. The principal told everyone over the speakers that I would be part of the Macy’s Day Parade and he told everyone to watch. There were a couple of kids in school who wanted my autograph today. When my mom came to pick me up, everyone told her that they saw me on TV. She was so happy and that made me happy too. Thank you YPC, Thanksgiving people, and Macy's for making my dream come true!!! Now I am the famous one in my family. My family watched the parade from 27 states!
- Howell John, Prelude
The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade was AMAZING. Standing on the float was COLD but PRICELESS. Seeing all the people waving and children smiling made me feel happy. Once in a while people would say “Happy Thanksgiving” and I would respond “Thank you” or say “You too.” After standing in the cold smiling and waving, my checks started to hurt and I wasn’t able to feel an inch of my body but I still kept smiling.
Once we got to 34th street my adrenaline started pumping more, then BAM - I was in front of sixty million people for at least a minute in a half.
Every thought started going through my head “Do I look weird?”Or “Am I going to throw up?” or “Am I singing the right words?”
Then all of a sudden we were done singing the song. I’m so glad I didn’t throw up and I’m so happy I had the experience singing with Ann Hampton Callaway at the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. This is an experience I will cherish and remember for the rest of my life.
- Kaila, Intermezzo
The Macy’s Day Parade was absolutely unbelievable. Although it was frigid and rather windy, I think we all had an amazing time. We had big smiles stuck on our faces, and our hands seemed to wave on their own after about an hour. We had hand and feet warmers that we shook relentlessly to keep the heat pulsing on to our frozen feet and fingers. As the float traveled all the way to 34th Street, I saw lots of people I knew who had come to cheer me on. At about 72nd, three of my friends all screamed my name, and I looked up to see their faces poking out the window of the 15th floor. I also saw my teacher, who had come to watch the float from one of the big windows in the Met Life Building. But it wasn’t only YPC on the float, we were lucky enough to be able to sing with the amazing Ann Hampton Callaway who made the experience all the more fun! Being aired on national TV was a once in a lifetime experience that I will never forget, and I will be forever grateful to Macy’s and YPC for letting me be a part of this special event. I love you YPC!
- Erin, Cantare
