The Oxford High School Band marched down New York City’s crowded streets Friday, playing "Alabama Bound" and "Alabama Jubilee" in front of more than 2 million spectators at the 245th annual New York St. Patrick’s Day Parade. The crowd cheered "Alabama, Alabama!" and "Roll Tide!" as the band paraded by, OHS band director Chris Pennington said.
"It’s not something you expect to hear on Fifth Avenue in New York City," Pennington said with a slight chuckle. "It was fantastic. Two million people saw us, and it was unbelievable.
"The citizens of New York were very nice. There was an enormous crowd that gave a big response, and the band fed off of it."
Street spectators joined the festivities, playing bagpipes and wearing kilts.
"There were people yelling and screaming," said Hillary Burt, an 18-year-old OHS drum major. "I had the most amazing time, and people were taking pictures of us — I felt like a celebrity.
"I’ve never been in a parade of this magnitude in my entire life. It was fantastic."
Oxford’s group joined 63 other bands in the parade. Oxford’s band is the first high school band from Alabama selected to participate in the St. Patrick’s Day Parade, parent Jani Sumner said.
"It was absolutely awesome," she said. "The kids did a great job."
Band members will attend an awards ceremony to find out how their performance was judged. Then they will tour the city for a few more days, catch a Broadway play, see the sights near the Statue of Liberty and visit Chinatown, Pennington said.
New York residents thought highly of the band’s performance, Pennington said.
"The citizens of New York were very complimentary," Pennington said. "I had people shake my hand while we were walking down the street — and I even got a few hugs."
