Six members of the Gage family are set to travel from Nampa to New York City for the 100th Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade after 16‑year‑old Kerrington Gage earned a spot as a drumline captain with the Macy’s Great American Marching Band. The parade, scheduled for Thursday, Nov. 26, will begin at 8:30 a.m. across all time zones, according to ABC 7 New York.
Gage, who began percussion in sixth grade playing snare before moving to bass drum, also performs in Nampa High School’s jazz band and marches with the Marching Dawgs, while competing as a varsity track thrower, as reported by the Idaho Press. Her selection follows a national audition process that, according to the Idaho Press, chose 180 high school performers, while Auburn University Bands lists 185 musicians plus roughly 40 flags and dancers.
The opportunity came to Gage’s attention after a fellow local percussionist, Ridgevue High School’s Kylee Overlin, performed in the 2025 parade. Gage and her family watched the broadcast on NBC and Peacock before she auditioned, and NBCUniversal noted that the 2025 parade attracted 34.3 million viewers.
Funding the cross‑country trip has been a community effort. Family friend Heidi Curtis, a music pastor at College Church of the Nazarene, launched a fundraiser that had raised $3,380 from 68 donations, reaching 97 percent of its $3,500 goal. A separate GoFundMe campaign for the Gage family had collected $5,093 from 125 donors, achieving 93 percent of its $5,500 target, according to the Hoodline report. Ryan Gage, Kerrington’s father, said the contributions make it possible for all six family members—Ryan, Ashley, Kerrington, Keller, Keefer and Keegan—to travel together.
Beyond the parade route, the family has a sightseeing itinerary that includes Central Park, the Statue of Liberty, a Broadway showing of “The Lion King,” and a performance by the Rockettes. Band director Jared Sene described the invitation as “truly once in a lifetime,” while Ryan Gage called the parade the largest crowd his daughter has ever performed for.
What’s next: The Gage family will depart for New York during Thanksgiving week, attend the parade on Nov. 26, and return to Nampa after the holiday. Residents can follow the family’s journey on the fundraising pages and anticipate local celebrations when the team returns.
Sources: hoodline.com
