Oxford High School Marching Band 245th Annual St. Patrick's Day Parade New York City • March 17, 2006
The Oxford High School marching band is going to the Big Apple to participate in the St. Patrick's Day parade. Oxford's 180-member band is the first from an Alabama school to take part in the event. Bookmark this page and follow the band's New York travels!

Oxford High School senior Christi Chesnut, 17, provides daily reports from the road to the Big Apple. Christi is a saxophone player in the Oxford marching band.
So much city, so little time 03-18-2006, 5:05 p.m It takes forever to get anywhere, so we were running about two hours late. It just takes forever.
Lots to love about New York, lots to miss about home 03-18-2006, 2 p.m The trip has been incredible for all of us. Of course, it takes an hour to drive anywhere — the city's just so huge — but it's been interesting, amazing, really.
It went awesome! 03-17-2006, 2:05 p.m There was just an ungodly amount of people, all in green. All in green.
A visit to St. Patrick's 03-17-2006, 11 a.m. We went to St. Patrick’s Cathedral last night, and I think everybody was kind of in awe of that. It was just gorgeous, and most of us hadn’t seen anything like that.
Enjoying the (really) Big Apple 03-16-2006, 2:30 p.m. It is going great, just so great. Right now we’re at Rockefeller Center, and it’s just awesome.
Safe in New York City! 03-16-2006, 9 a.m. It is unbelievable to be actually sitting here! I think everyone is finally realizing we are doing this.
On a Tennessee road windin’ down ... 03-15-2006, 9:45 p.m. After driving through Chattanooga, everybody on my bus was still up and awake and happy and talking. We put in the movie ‘Walk the Line’ and started watching it, even though our TV was still going off and on.
Settling down for a long, long ride 03-15-2006, 3:20 p.m. This morning in school you could tell when we walked in who was going on the trip to New York and who wasn’t because everybody in the band had their comfy pants on. It was crazy.
Last full day in Oxford exciting, stressful 03-14-2006, 4:30 p.m. I think even now people aren’t realizing that we are really going. I don’t think until we get on that bus that we’ll realize we are really going to New York.

Last update: March 25, 2 p.m.

RELATED STORIES • Oxford band takes bite out of green Big Apple (03-18-2006) • Oxford High's marching band and color guard prepare for New York (03-05-2006) • Oxford band to play N.Y. St. Pats parade (09-20-2005)