Cherokee Youth Choir To Perform In Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade
The 27-member, Tahlequah, Okla.-based choir will perform in the 87th annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade on Nov. 28 in New York City. The upcoming performance will take place on a float in the parade and marks the choir’s second appearance in the televised parade, said Mary Kay Henderson, director for the choir.
“To be asked to be on a float and be a featured artist for the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade is a huge thing for the Cherokee National Youth Choir,” she said. “It’s a great honor for us.”
Featuring children in sixth through 12th grades, the choir will be dressed in its traditional Cherokee clothing for the parade, which will be televised from 8-11 a.m. on the NBC network. The choir will perform one song selection for the TV cameras near the main entrance of the Macy’s store, she said.
“This will be such a learning experience for these students,” Henderson said. “Some of our students have never flown before, so getting on a plane for the first time will be an experience for them. Getting to travel to New York City, really, is a learning experience for all of us.”
Choir members recently held various fundraisers to raise “trip-deposit” money, while the Cherokee Nation “is graciously” underwriting most of the trip’s expenses, she said.
“It’s great that they’ve been asked to be at Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade again,” she said of the choir, which appeared in the parade in 2007. “The goal of the choir is to be an ambassador of Cherokee culture and music for this area, and we hope that we are accomplishing that goal.”
When asked what song the choir will perform for the parade’s TV cameras, Henderson laughed.
“Oh, I can’t tell which song we’ll be doing — it’s a secret,” she said. “The parade organizers told us not to disclose that, so people will have fun watching the choir on TV. It’s going to be a great thing.”
Source: swtimes.com, PHOTO COURTESY OF CHEROKEE NATION
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