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Maryville High School marching band members will soon be walking the streets of Philadelphia to participate in the nation's oldest Thanksgiving Day parade.

The Red Rebel marching band will be one of 17 high school bands performing in the 6abc Boscov's Thanksgiving Day Parade, which dates back to 1920. The parade was previously known as the Gimbels Thanksgiving Day Parade.

Maryville High's marching band will leave Nov. 25 and return on Nov. 30. Students will tour Philadelphia, Arlington National Cemetery and Washington, D.C. Band members have also been given the honor of presenting a wreath at Arlington's Tomb of the Unknowns.

"This is a wonderful acknowledgment of our hard work and (the talent of) our students to have someone outside (this region) invite you to this (parade)," said band teacher Bill Burke.

Teachers also hope this parade will help Maryville ultimately land one of the more prestigious parades such as the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.

"This is a real credit to the community and how they support music eduction. We hope we can represent Maryville well, and we think we will," said Burke. "We have a great group of kids who have great work ethics and who are just fun to be around."

Students are currently juggling three different performances: the Thanksgiving Day parade, Friday's football halftime show and the school's holiday concert. Band members will run one last rehearsal this week to further build up their endurance and polish the music.

Band teachers are also ironing out the trip's final items. "There are a lot of details like an army. We're working on all those logistical things, which can take away from the student experience," said band teacher Tom DeLozier.

Most students are extremely excited about the Thanksgiving Day parade. "For those who don't continue marching band after high school, this is a once-in-a-lifetime experience," said sophomore Allie Cable.

Many students, however, were not initially ecstatic about the experience. "Parades are a lot of hard work and they're boring," said senior Haley Dirneyer. However, "once we started hearing more about it, everyone got more excited about it. Now we can't wait to leave," she said.

Many students are simply looking forward to the trip's ancillary opportunities. "I'm real excited to live with my best friend for four days. I'm also real excited to eat Thanksgiving dinner with 150 of my best friends. It will be fun," said Cable.