COLUMBIA, Missouri — Marching Mizzou will be the first of 12 bands performing in the 96th annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.
Lead by Amy Knopps with the University of Missouri's School of Music, the 350-member band will march a 2.5-mile parade route through New York City while playing a rendition of Mizzou-alumna Sheryl Crow's hit "All I Wanna Do."
The preparation leading up to the parade has been "arduous," School of Music Director Julia Gaines said. In addition to preforming at seven home Mizzou football games, the band has been practicing and building stamina to perform a minute-15-second song along a fast-paced route that's a whole mile longer than the Mizzou Homecoming Parade.
The selection process for performing in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade was also a difficult task. Gaines said the prestigious application required samples of work and proof of creativity, and the committee was won over by the Mizzou band's performance with Spot the Robot and a Stanley Cup-themed halftime to celebrate the St. Louis Blues' victory in 2019.
Airfare, hotels and meals brought the cost of bringing the band to the Big Apple to about $500,000, with funds coming from the Macy's Foundation and Mizzou alumni.
The Columbia, Missouri, band will join others from South Carolina, Kentucky, Indiana, California, Pennsylvania, New York, Florida, South Dakota, Texas and Mexico.
Since Macy's limits bands to applying once every four years, it could be several years before you could get another chance to see the Mizzou Tigers march the streets of New York City. Tune in to 5 On Your Side starting at 8:45 a.m. Thursday to see them perform live.
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