WILL BE PACKED FOR THE PARADE. AND TAYLOR HESS IS JOINING US BECAUSE SHE. YOU GOT TO SIT DOWN WITH TWO LANCASTER NATIVES WHO ARE GOING TO BE PERFORMING IN THIS PARADE. YEAH, THAT’S EXACTLY RIGHT. SO WE GOT A CHANCE TO TALK ABOUT THE BALLOONS. WELL, WHAT ABOUT THE MARCHING BAND? THAT’S EXACTLY WHERE THESE TWO LANCASTER COUNTY NATIVES HAVE A PLAY IN ALL OF THIS. WELL, THIS YEAR, THERE’S ONLY ONE BAND FROM PENNSYLVANIA HEADING TO THE PARADE. OUT OF A TOTAL OF 11 MARCHING BANDS, IT’S TEMPLE UNIVERSITY AND TWO MEMBERS OF THAT BAND ARE FROM RIGHT HERE IN THE SUSQUEHANNA VALLEY. NOT ONLY ARE THEY GOING TO BE IN THAT PARADE, BUT THE GROUP ALSO PAID A VISIT TO THE TODAY SHOW THIS MORNING. TAKE A LOOK. MEET THE TEMPLE UNIVERSITY DIAMOND MARCHING BAND. GO OUT HOURS AWAY FROM MAKING HISTORY IN THE MACY’S THANKSGIVING DAY PARADE. EVERY BAND KID WISHES TO HAVE THIS MOMENT IN THEIR LIFE. AND MAN, AM I LIKE. WE’RE ALL SO BLESSED. AFTER OVER A YEAR OF REHEARSALS, LANCASTER NATIVES MAGGIE SPIELMAN AND NOEL SITES ARE JUST ONE STEP AWAY FROM THEIR GRAND DEBUT. IT HASN’T, FULLY SUNK IN YET. A MOMENT THAT THEY SAY DOESN’T FEEL REAL. WE’RE STILL, YOU KNOW, IT’S OKAY. WE’RE ON THE BUS TO NEW YORK. OKAY, WE’RE GETTING READY FOR ANOTHER PERFORMANCE. WE’RE SETTING OUR INSTRUMENTS OUT FOR, YOU KNOW, ETC. AND I THINK IT’S BEEN SLOWLY KIND OF CREEPING UP ON US. FORMED IN 1925, THIS IS THE FIRST TIME TEMPLE’S MARCHING BAND WILL PLAY THE TWO AND A HALF MILE ROUTE IN THE HEART OF NEW YORK CITY, A MILESTONE PERFORMANCE MARKING THE BAND’S 100TH ANNIVERSARY. I THINK IT’S REALLY GOING TO HIT US LIKE TOMORROW MORNING WE’RE REHEARSING AND IT’S WE’RE FINALLY HERE. THE PERFORMANCE ITSELF A GRAND SURPRISE FOR THE MUSICIANS. WE JUST FINISHED OUR, LIKE, PREVIEW SHOW FOR THE SEASON TO KIND OF SHOW THE COMMUNITY WHAT WE’VE BEEN WORKING ON DURING BAND CAMP AND EVERYTHING, AND HE’S KIND OF SITTING THERE AND HE’S TALKING ABOUT, YOU KNOW, WHAT IT’S LIKE BEING IN BAND. AND WE THOUGHT HE WAS GOING TO RETIRE. WE DID NOT. WE THOUGHT HE WAS NOT. HE WAS TAKING US OFF THE OFF THE RAILS. YEAH. WE DIDN’T KNOW WHAT WAS HAPPENING. INSTEAD OF A FAREWELL, IT WAS A BIG REVEAL. THEY BASICALLY TOOK A DRUM HEAD OUT OF THE BOX AND IT DISPLAYED THE 2025 MACY’S LOGO, AND EVERYBODY FREAKED OUT. IT WAS IT WAS REALLY EXCITING FOR THESE TWO MANHEIM TOWNSHIP GRADS WHO GREW UP WATCHING THE PARADE FROM THEIR LIVING ROOM, MARCHING INTO THIS BIG DAY FEELS LIKE A DREAM COME TRUE. I REMEMBER WATCHING IT AS A KID FOR SURE. I NEVER THOUGHT I WOULD GET THE CHANCE TO EVEN DO IT. I WAS JUST LIKE, IT WAS JUST A THING YOU WATCH WITH YOUR FAMILY IN THE MORNING. I’M JUST GOING TO GO CRAZY. I’M GOING TO HAVE A GREAT TIME. I’M REALLY GOING TO TRY SO HARD TO JUST ABSORB IT ALL, BECAUSE IT’S A ONCE IN A LIFETIME KIND OF OPPORTUNITY. NOW, IF YOU WANT TO CATCH THEM ON TV TOMORROW IN SUPPORT THESE TWO MANHEIM TOWNSHIP GRADS, YOU CAN WATCH THEM BETWEEN 940 AND 1010 IN THE MORNING. SO THEY HAVE A LONG DAY TOMORROW. THEY DO. THEY HAVE TO BE U
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Two Manheim Township graduates to perform in Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade
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Updated: 8:03 AM EST Nov 27, 2025
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Temple University's Diamond Marching Band is set to make history in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, with two of its members from Lancaster County.After over a year of rehearsals, Lancaster natives Maggie Spealman and Noel Seitz are just one sleep away from their grand debut. The moment feels surreal for them, as the band, formed in 1925, will play the 2.5-mile route in the heart of New York City for the first time, marking its 100th anniversary. Noel Seitz expressed the excitement of the moment, saying, "Every band wishes to have this moment in their life. And we're all so blessed to have this chance to do this."Maggie Spealman recounted the surprise reveal of the performance, saying, "We had just finished our preview show for the season to kind of show the community what we've been working on during band camp and everything. And he's kind of sitting there, and he's talking about, you know, what it's like being in band. And we thought he was going to retire."Instead of a farewell, it was a big reveal. Maggie said, "They basically took a drum head out of the box, and it displayed the 2025 Macy's logo. And everybody freaked out. It was it was really exciting."For these two Manheim Township graduates, who grew up watching the parade from home, marching into this big day feels like a dream come true.Noel said, "I'm just going to go crazy. I'm going to have a great time. I'm really going to try so hard to just absorb it all because it's a once in a lifetime kind of opportunity."You can watch this pair and the Temple Marching Band on Thanksgiving Day morning, around 9:40-10:10.
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<strong class="dateline">NEW YORK —</strong> Temple University's Diamond Marching Band is set to make history in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, with two of its members from Lancaster County.
After over a year of rehearsals, Lancaster natives Maggie Spealman and Noel Seitz are just one sleep away from their grand debut. The moment feels surreal for them, as the band, formed in 1925, will play the 2.5-mile route in the heart of New York City for the first time, marking its 100th anniversary. Noel Seitz expressed the excitement of the moment, saying, “Every band wishes to have this moment in their life. And we’re all so blessed to have this chance to do this.”
Maggie Spealman recounted the surprise reveal of the performance, saying, “We had just finished our preview show for the season to kind of show the community what we’ve been working on during band camp and everything. And he’s kind of sitting there, and he’s talking about, you know, what it’s like being in band. And we thought he was going to retire.”
Instead of a farewell, it was a big reveal. Maggie said, “They basically took a drum head out of the box, and it displayed the 2025 Macy’s logo. And everybody freaked out. It was it was really exciting.”
For these two Manheim Township graduates, who grew up watching the parade from home, marching into this big day feels like a dream come true.
Noel said, “I’m just going to go crazy. I’m going to have a great time. I’m really going to try so hard to just absorb it all because it’s a once in a lifetime kind of opportunity.”
You can watch this pair and the Temple Marching Band on Thanksgiving Day morning, around 9:40-10:10.
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