The Rustin Golden Knights Marching Band will be participating in the West Chester Christmas Parade this Friday, November 30. If you're in the area, it's a great family activity, so please come out and join us! This post will contain some commentary along with photos and videos from previous years' parades.
Introduction
This year, on Friday, November 30, QVC and the Greater West Chester Chamber of Commerce are hosting the 39th annual Christmas Parade in downtown West Chester. As in previous years, the Golden Knights will be there to celebrate with the community and to compete with other high school marching bands for a trophy and prize money.
According to the event's web page, the parade will be televised on QVC on Christmas day, so if you're not in the area and you have the QVC network on your TV, then that's a great opportunity to see the Golden Knights in action.
In addition to the parade, some of the band members will also participate with the school chorus in a concert before the parade at the local Unitarian Congregation.
I have attended this parade for most (if not all) of the last 17 years, and along with the celebration, it is also sometimes accompanied by a touch of controversy. In years past, there have been community debates about the appropriateness of a nativity scene on the courthouse lawn and about the inclusion of a "tree of knowledge" from a local free thought society. If there are any such controversies this year, I remain blissfully unaware of them.
Over the years that I've been attending the parade with my family, crowd sizes have grown substantially, with last year's crowd estimated at around 40,000.
2017 Celebration
Surprisingly, it looks like I didn't take any photos from last year, but here are a couple videos.
Chorus
A couple band members were doing double-duty with the school choir. Here they are singing a Christmas Medley.
Band
And here is the marching band in the parade doing their own Christmas Medley
2016 Celebration
In 2016, I did take a few photos of Rustin and other high school bands. You can right-click on the photos and open in a new tab for a better view. All original photos and video taken with an LG-G3 cell phone.
Rustin High School Marching Band
Rustin High School Marching Band
Downingtown East & West
Combined Marching Band
Downingtown East & West
Combined Marching Band
West Chester Henderson Marching Band
West Chester Henderson Marching Band
And here is a short video of that year's Golden Knights Marching Band
Conclusion
So that gives you an idea of what to expect on Friday. I'm not sure, but I believe there are somewhere around 8 or 10 high school bands each year. Most of them are local, but I seem to remember seeing bands from as far away as Virginia, Ohio, and North Carolina. There are also floats and participants from schools and businesses in the community, and of course, the Incomparable Golden Rams Marching Band from West Chester University of PA.
If you're in the area, bring your family for a great time. Arrive early, because traffic will be heavy, and check the web site for information about parking. I believe that free parking is available in one of the University lots, and there are several commercial garages near the parade route.
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