Northwoods Marching Band at Tournament of Roses Parade

Tuesday, January 3rd, 2023 -- 9:01 AM

(Mike Leischner, WSAU) -Several local and regional schools will be represented in this year's Tournament of Roses parade presented by Honda under the banner of the Northwoods Marching Band.

According to Mike Leischner with WSAU, this year's President and Chairman Amy Wainscott says she couldn't be prouder to have helped her home state grab a share of today's spotlight. "Born and raised in Eagle River, WI. Proud Wisconsinite, a cheesehead.

Wainscott says everyone from all the schools and communities should be proud of what these students are about to accomplish. "So, they're going to turn that corner. They're going to turn into the sunrise. They're going to see 700,000 spectators lining the streets of Pasadena as they're marching towards the end of the parade. So, it's going to be a crazy, beautiful day."

She says she's proud to have put this together in her year as leader of the festivities. "They're going to be representing their high school at the Pasadena Tournament of Roses presented by Honda. To think about that, it still gives me goosebumps."

She says the Northwoods Marching Band may have created a blueprint to bring other small communities together for future parades. "All schools can look at this and think, 'you know what? We can do this too!' Or 'lets get together with some of the other communities in the area and lets put together a band.'"

She says it's an especially special moment for the smaller schools that are making up the troupe- for instance, three lakes high school is contributing just six members. "There's six musicians. Six young women from Three Lakes that are part of this band. That are part of an almost 400 member band that are going to be represetnting their high school at the Pasadena Tournament of Roses."

The Northwoods Marching Band, comprised of students from Mosinee, DC Everest, Wausau, Anitgo, Merrill, Northland Pines, Three Lakes, and Lakeland Union, will join some 40 floats and bands from six other countries in Monday's event. Wainscott says the band will be following her car in the parade, so she will get to listen to them for all five and a half miles.

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