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Angleton girl to perform in Macy’s parade
Published November 23, 2009
ANGLETON — Lauren Smith’s Thanksgiving will be less than traditional, but it will still be part of an 83-year-old American celebration.
The Angleton High School freshman will perform at the opening ceremonies of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City. The junior varsity cheerleader will join 650 other girls from around the nation at Herald Square for the 9 a.m. start.
“It’s a once-in-a-lifetime thing,” Lauren Smith said, admitting to some nervousness as she and her family prepared Thursday night for their flight to the East Coast.
The 15-year-old and her parents, former Angleton City Manager Greg Smith and Angela Smith, will spend a week in New York with Lauren practicing, sightseeing and attending Broadway shows. Lauren learned the performance on a video sent by Mike Miller and Associates Special Events Group, according to a news release from Angleton ISD.
“They have to know the routine when they arrive in New York,” Angela Smith said. “She’s been practicing. We hope she knows it.”
Lauren Smith rehearsed the program every night in November, her mom said.
“It’s awesome,” Angela Smith said. “Not many kids get this opportunity. We’re very happy for her.”
The program will be televised at 9 a.m. Thanksgiving Day on NBC in all time zones, Angleton ISD spokeswoman Hanna Chalmers said. Locally, it will air on KPRC-TV Local 2. Outside the Houston market, the parade also airs on CBS affiliates.
Lauren Smith has competed in cheerleading for 10 years and was chosen for the holiday event while at a cheerleading camp this summer, Chalmers said.
“Our district could not be more proud than to have someone like her representing us, and all of Angleton,” she said. “She’s very talented and it’s easy to see why she was chosen.”
Lauren Smith will practice several times with her comrades, then take part in a dress rehearsal in front of NBC television producers. The girls will cheer and dance, and while the routine is different from performances she knows, it’s “not that different,” she said.
Thanksgiving will be substantially different, but the Smiths have called and explained to family members, Angela Smith said. It might not be “down home” and this is the family’s first trip to New York, but the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade is part of Americana, Lauren Smith said.
“It’s awesome. Fun. Exciting,” she said. “I really don’t know what to expect. I’m a little nervous, but not that much.”
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