Ambridge Band Heads to Hawaii Waikiki Holiday Parade for 75th Anniversary of the Attack on Pearl Harbor

Ambridge Band pictured marching in Ambridge will Perform in the Waikiki Holiday Parade for 75th Anniversary of the Attack on Pearl Harbor Photo Credit Alan Freed Photography

The Ambridge Area High School Marching Band, under the direction of Marie Dewar, has accepted the invitation to commemorate the 75th Anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor and represent Ambridge, PA in the Waikiki Holiday Parade.

Each year the Waikiki Holiday Parade is held on the Friday after Thanksgiving in Honolulu, Hawaii, honoring Pearl Harbor Survivors and American military. To date, hundreds of mainland and Hawaiian bands have marched the parade since its inaugural year in 1998. Thousands of spectators, residents and visitors gather to watch this parade which hosts marching bands, Pearl Harbor Survivors, service bands, military units, local officials, dignitaries and entertainers. The parade begins at 7:00pm at Fort DeRussy and ends at Kapiolani Park. The scenic parade route travels approximately 1.5 miles through Waikiki along the oceanfront of beautiful, torch-lit Kalakaua Avenue. Bands who participate in the parade also provide a wreath laying ceremony at the USS Arizona Memorial and a commemorative performance at the USS Battleship Missouri in Pearl Harbor.

While in Hawaii, the group will tour the island of Oahu, and include a visit to the Dole Pineapple Plantation and Polynesian Cultural Center on the North Shore and hike the Diamond Head crater. In preparation for the trip, the band has been practicing several patriotic songs and has been discussing the history of Pearl Harbor in class.
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“We are thrilled to be working with Marie Dewar and the Ambridge band on their trip,” said Parade Founder Jake Peppers. The student’s experiences at Pearl Harbor and meeting survivors will be something they will remember for a lifetime. We are honored to help create this memory.”