Foothill High marches to unforgettable Thanksgiving Day experience

Submitted / groupphotos.com

The Foothill High School marching band performs in the 88th Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade on Nov. 27, 2014, in New York City.

By Ian Whitaker

Saturday, Nov. 29, 2014 | 12:24 p.m.

They may not have spent the day at home with family eating turkey, but the students of Henderson's Foothill High marching band still had a pretty memorable Thanksgiving.

The band performed in the 88th Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City, which drew an average TV audience of more than 22 million people during a live telecast on Thursday.

Foothill High was one of six high school marching bands to participate. Around 300 students made the trip with band director Travis Pardee, who has taught at the school since 2002.

The band solicited community donations in order to raise the more than $500,000 needed to send the students. It cost around $2,500 per student for travel, food and lodging, according to the band's website.

Being invited to play the annual parade is one of the highest honors for a marching band, but the Henderson high school band is no stranger to success. According to its website, it is the largest competitive marching band in Nevada and performed in the Memorial Day Parade in Washington D.C. in 2012 and the St. Patrick's Day Parade in Dublin, Ireland, in 2009.