Patty Miller
EDMOND — Edmond North High School senior Christin Tomlinson will represent the state of Oklahoma in the 83rd annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City. Tomlinson, who plays the clarinet in Edmond North’s band, has been selected to march with Macy’s Great American Marching Band as they lead this year’s parade from Central Park through Times Square and in front of almost 2.5 million spectators.
The band also will stop to perform in front of the grandstand at Macy’s Herald Square and a live television audience of more than 50 million people. Macy’s Great American Marching Band began in 2006 in celebration of the parade’s 80th anniversary. Similar to the All-Star bands produced by McDonald’s in the 1970s and 1980s, Macy’s Great American Marching Band is comprised of more than 200 high school musicians from each of the 50 states and Washington, D.C. Students were selected to participate based on a written application and a 4-7 minute audition DVD or CD.
Tomlinson and eight other students from Oklahoma are scheduled to arrive in New York City the Saturday before Thanksgiving for rehearsals, uniform fittings and sightseeing trips. This year’s band is under the direction of Jon Wood, Ohio State University, and Richard Good, Auburn University.
