New Year’s Day Parade

Well today was the day. We woke up early to get ready. It was surprising because it was the new year but all of us slept through it. We woke up at 4:00 and got our uniforms on. It was nerve-wracking to know that in a few hours we would be in the biggest parade any of us would ever do. When we had all eaten and were set to go we got on the buses. This was the only day we got comfortable buses. Most of us slept on the way to the parade route.

When we got off the buses it was a little cold at first. we walked up to the starting point and got ready, used the lua, fixed our instruments and warmed up. When we heard that whistle we knew we had to do good and represent all of Hawai’i. At the first turn the drums started their cadence and we were ready to go. At the horns up whistle we tensed up because we knew we were going to pass the TV cameras. Then we started playing starting with “Koni Au” then “Aloha Oe”.Then we saw the blimp that takes the aerial shot of the bands. we did really good on the turn that we practiced so hard for. Once we were on Colorado Boulevard it was a straight away and we relaxed but were still focused. We passed so many people that were cheering for us and yelling and it was great being there experiencing that.

Once we turned off of Colorado I thought we were almost done but we had so much left still. There were times where I was so tired that I was hoping the section leader would call “right shoulder move” so I could give my arm a rest. When we passed through spots with shade it felt so good after being hot and sweaty in the sun. We kept marching and marching and people were yelling “good job, you guys are almost there”. Finally we turned and it was over. When we stopped and drank some water it was awesome. We were all congratulating each other. Then some of us spent half an hour trying to find our bus. We ate In an Out burgers for lunch and packed up to go.

Back at the hotel we changed and relaxed. After walking around we went to watch ourselves on TV. It was awesome to watch how we did and review the band’s performance. The Kamehameha Band was one of the few that got an aerial shot. Some of the cameras got close and you could see people like Kapena. we laughed and were proud of ourselves. Finally we got to eat dinner which was the best meal yet. We got rolls, mashed potatoes, rice, and chicken. We still have to have our banquet but to me it’s more of a time to go to sleep.

This trip is an unforgettable experience, something I will never forget.-Dylan Alip