Macy’s invites The Pride For ’22

When it comes to keeping a secret, few are better sealing their lips than Kevin Kessler ’98, director of The Pride of the Dakotas Marching Band.

In early February 2020, he received word that the band had been selected to perform in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. The announcement was to be made March 31, 2020, with representatives from Macy’s to be on campus. Of course, COVID-19 broke out in the United States a few weeks prior and everything was put on hold.

The New York City-based department store chain did hold its iconic holiday event in 2020, but it was a made-for-television production without an actual parade.

So marching bands that were to perform in 2020 were pushed to 2021 and bands, like The Pride of the Dakotas, that were to march in 2021 were pushed to 2022. However, other than Kessler, colleagues Jacob Wallace and Aaron Ragsdale, and several SDSU administrators, no one knew that Kessler had even submitted an application.

That changed April 22, the date band members were told to assemble at Larsen Memorial Hall in the Oscar Larson Performing Arts Center for a major announcement.

“My first inclination is it was a big trip of some kind,” said sophomore baritone sax player Matthew Dulas, of Pipestone, Minnesota. “Then when we learned it was really important for the university as a whole and they were bringing in Barry Dunn for the announcement, I figured it would be something that would put the Pride on a national or international stage. 

“But they kept it locked down pretty tight. They kept it a secret.”

Freshman trumpeter Caroline Reyner, of Independence, Iowa, added, “I had no idea what it was going to be. There was excitement but also confusion. I knew nothing.”

Director had band guessing

Students had about 10 days to speculate between the time Kessler told them an announcement was forthcoming April 22. 

“I had hyped a big announcement last March. I did eventually share with the students what happened. (That COVID-19 had delayed the revealing.) So returning students had a good 12 to 14 months to speculate.” He added that one of this year’s 225 band members speculated that the April 22 announcement would be a Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade invite.

“We’ll see” is all the poker-faced Kessler would say.

On April 22, he let the excitement build as band members, university officials and a few members of the media assembled. What followed was a customized, two-minute video from Macy’s to announce the selection and a short Zoom session with the band.

“They made it very special,” said Kessler, who submitted the application in January 2020.

Shock and excitement overcame the band members, Dulas and Reyner said. “With COVID, there’s not been a lot to be excited about and to actually be able to do things with other people was exciting,” Rayner said. 

Dulas added, “It’s a really cool opportunity. For years I’ve seen marching bands in that parade. I’m appreciative of the opportunity for it now to be us.” 

Macy’s will complete parade hat trick

Each year, the Macy’s Parade Band Committee looks for bands that have the stage presence and musical expertise to captivate the 3 million spectators on the streets of New York City and 50 million viewers across the country. The Pride was selected from more than 100 applicants as one of nine selected bands to march in the 96th edition of the annual holiday spectacle. 

Of the nine, the only other college bands were the University of Missouri and Benedict College in Columbia, South Carolina. 

“The decision to apply for Macy’s was born out of the band’s history. We’ve been to the Rose Parade twice, the inauguration twice. Macy’s is one of three major American parades that a band would attain for and we haven’t done this one yet. It was time to go for it,” said Kessler, director since 2015.

He added this was the first time the Pride had applied for Macy’s.

Kessler submitted a video of the band’s halftime show, a short history of the band and letters of recommendation from band directors who had led bands in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade as well as a Big 10 band director who was familiar with SDSU. “Then it was wait and hope.”

And wait and keep still.

– Dave Graves

Note: Current director Kevin Kessler participated in the 1997 inauguration parade and the 2000 Fourth of July parade in addition to directing the Pride in the 2017 Washington, D.C., Memorial Day Parade.