Band makes 12th appearance in NYC St. Patrick’s Day Parade
VERNON. The Vernon Township High School Viking Marching Band marched up Fifth Avenue from 44th Street to 79th Street.
Vernon /
| 24 Mar 2023 | 04:30
The Vernon Township High School Viking Marching Band marches March 17 in the St. Patrick’s Day Parade in New York City. (Photos provided)
The Vernon Township High School Viking Marching Band marches March 17 in the St. Patrick’s Day Parade in New York City. (Photos provided)
The Vernon Township High School Viking Marching Band participated in the St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Manhattan on Friday, March 17.
It was the 12th time that the band has participated in the New York City parade, which is the oldest and largest St. Patrick’s Day Parade in the world.
Max Taylor, band director at Vernon Township High School, said the band first marched in the New York City parade in 2010 after then-Principal Former principal Timothy Dunnigan suggested that it apply to take part.
All participants must apply every year. The only year that the Vikings missed were 2020 and 2021 during the coronavirus pandemic.
The band, with about 75 members, takes two buses to Manhattan and a third bus carried parents and others who cheer on the band from the sidewalks.
Taylor said the St. Patrick’s Day gives band members something to look forward to in the spring after the fall, which is filled with competitions.
The band also takes part in a Memorial Day parade in Vernon. Every other year, when the band takes an overnight trip, it usually marches in a parade in the town it travels to.