The Pickerington Central Marching Tigers missed two out of three holidays during the 2009 season, but they had a good reason. They were repeating history.
The Tigers became just the second band ever to march in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City and less than two months later, play in the Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena, Calif. Though the coast-to-coast display of talents has come to an end, the glow from Pickerington Central High School’s performances is still shining from the Central Ohio campus.
"Eighteen months ago, it seemed like a good idea," joked Michael Sewell, Pickerington Central's Director of Bands for 28 years. "It was really neat. It was fun to do. It was never intended to be that way, but I fell and broke my leg and missed half a year. The invitation went unopened. That’s how it got sort of backed up in the same year.
"The neat part of it was at the end of the parade," he added about the Rose Parade. "That's when they finally sort of get it, a light bulb comes on. After marching that five-and-a-half miles down Colorado Boulevard, they see all those people there, they finally understood what I've been talking about for 18 months. They were very appreciative and they still are. They're still sky high."
While it was a fun experience to play in both parades, the director and 207 band members put in a lot of work, especially by rehearsing two completely different repertoires for the shows. When they were not practicing for the parades, the Marching Tigers were holding fundraisers for the long trips East and West.
"In the course of events, the other stuff took care of itself, but the fundraising was the most difficult part," Sewell said. "We did a little bit of everything. We did a golf outing, we waited tables, we did community concerts. Our township and city came forward and gave us some donations.
"Every time, the challenges are a little bit different, but this was so unique with the economy as bad as it was," he added. "When we first got the invitation for the Rose Parade, it was October 2008. That's when the economy went. We were bound and determined that every kid who wanted to go could go. We offered assistance to some kids and had scholarships and things for them, so that made it easy. We had to help about 25 kids. It was required to pay at least half the cost. We ended up having to raise $40,000 to help get everybody there."
Pickerington Central made its fourth appearance in both parades this year. However, each trip was a little different than previous years.
The Marching Tigers led Santa Claus into the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade and marched in the Tournament of Roses Parade in the same year the Ohio State Buckeyes played in the Rose Bowl. Pickerington Central High School is located less than a half-hour Southeast of The Ohio State University.
"New York at Christmastime is something very, very special. Having been a part of that was always neat," said Sewell. "The Macy's Parade, the thing that made it unique was the celebrities involved. The floats itself are the celebrities in the Rose Parade. Being a part of that was what made that sort of special.
"We always hoped that they would get in, but you never know," Sewell said of Ohio State. "Lots of things have to go right for that to happen. For that to happen, it was just a thrill for all of us. Growing up here in Columbus, like I had, I've always been an Ohio State fan."
Matt Florjancic currently works as a freelance reporter and sports show host for WOBL and WDLW.
