BAY MINETTE, Alabama -- Five students will be representing Baldwin County High School at this year's Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City. Claire Stewart will be performing with the Spirit of America and Ashley Presley, Bethany Presley, Tucker Clay and Scottlin Williams will be marching with the Macy's Great American Marching Band.
All five students received financial support from the local community through fundraisers and donations. The Young Professionals of the North Baldwin Chamber of Commerce donated $100 to each of the girls and the Bay Minette City Council contributed $300 each.
Thanksgiving morning, more than 3 million spectators will line the streets of Manhattan and 50 million TV viewers nationwide will tune in to watch the beloved annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, celebrating its 88th year.
The Macy's Great American Marching Band is made up of approximately 245 high school students representing all 50 states. The participants are selected through a competitive audition process, spend several days together leading up to the parade participating in leadership exercises, sightseeing, and rehearsing for the big day.
The Spirit of America participants involves more than 600 students who are junior and senior captains/co-captains of their cheer teams as well as officers selected at UDA, NCA, and NDA summer camps.
This marks the fourth consecutive year that BCHS has been represented at the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. In 2011, Morgan Covington and Caleb McDonald were selected from Baldwin County High School. That number swelled to six students in 2012 and included Holly Barber, Tucker Clay, Morgan Covington, Kate Harrison, Taylor Robbins and Olivia Turner. Six students participated last year as well including Scottlin Williams, Tucker Clay, Brooke Emmons, Lindsey Holly, Kate Harrison and Morgan Covington.
The 88th Annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade will be broadcast on NBC. For more information on the parade, visit www.macys.com/parade.