Two Winslow High School graduates didn’t just watch this year’s Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade; they marched in it, carrying their hometown with them as part of Northern Arizona University’s (NAU) Lumberjack Marching Band.
Caitlin Quiñonez, a 2015 WHS graduate and Carlos Tafoya, a 2025 graduate, were among more than 200 NAU band members selected to perform in the nationally televised parade, marking the first time an Arizona band had ever been featured in the event.
Quiñonez returned to NAU last year after taking time away from college and is now majoring in music education. A piccolo and flute player, she plans to graduate in 2028 and hopes to return to Winslow or a nearby community as a band teacher if a position is available.
Tafoya, the son of Winslow City Councilmember Daniel Tafoya, is in his first year at NAU majoring in communications and hopes to one day work as an announcer, possibly in sports broadcasting.
Preparation for the parade began in mid-September, with weeks of rehearsals leading up to the trip. Each student paid about $2,000 to cover travel and related expenses. In total, more than 200 band members traveled to New York City for the performance.
The group arrived Monday evening and spent their first night seeing the city. Tuesday was filled with rehearsals and an unannounced concert in Central Park that quickly gathered a crowd of New Yorkers stopping to listen. Wednesday offered another rehearsal and some free time ahead of the parade.
Thanksgiving morning began early, with a 2:15 a.m. wake-up call, followed by a 3 a.m. breakfast. From there, band members headed to the parade staging area to check in and warm up their instruments. Tafoya said he never needed his alarm, explaining that “adrenalin was keeping me awake” as the moment approached.
The NAU band was included in the parade’s ribbon-cutting ceremony and placed directly behind Tom the Turkey, the iconic inflatable that has led the parade since 1973. As the parade moved along the route, both Quiñonez and Tafoya said the turkey float was traveling faster than expected. When it came time for the band to perform at the judging stage near 34th Street, the turkey was removed from the lineup, forcing an unexpected sprint from 37th Street to 34th Street.
More than 200 band members ran those final blocks carrying their instruments in order to reach the stage in time. Tafoya said the moment was chaotic but unforgettable, calling it “a funny sight to see over 200 college students running three blocks with their instruments.”
Quiñonez, positioned near the back of the parade with the flutes, said she arrived just moments before the band was called to perform, noting that “it wasn’t actually that bad, we’re used to practicing in Flagstaff so the elevation difference made it a lot easier.”
After taking the stage, the parade was effectively over for the band. With most students spending Thanksgiving away from their families, the group chose to celebrate together on a cruise aboard the Spirit of New Jersey, which traveled around Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty. During their time in New York, the band also attended a Broadway performance of The Great Gatsby.
For Quiñonez, the trip represented a full-circle moment. After working at Winslow High School as a special education paraprofessional, leading the band booster club and volunteering with the marching band. After several years working at Winslow High School, she returned to NAU to pursue music education.
For Tafoya, the parade marked an early milestone at the start of his college career. Learning more than a year ago that NAU would be performing in the parade helped solidify his decision to attend the university, explaining that “that was what made me choose NAU.” Seeing himself briefly featured on the national broadcast added another layer to the moment, one that stretched far beyond Winslow.
Together, the two graduates shared the same route, the same stage, and the same unexpected sprint through Manhattan a reminder that Winslow’s reach doesn’t end at the city limits, and that even students from a small town can find themselves performing in front of a national audience, then carrying that experience forward into whatever comes next.
