CANFIELD — This Christmas, as families and friends gather, the topic of conversation at four Canfield homes likely will include memories made at the annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.

While most Canfield High School students spent Thanksgiving with family, three sophomore and one junior cheerleader went to work to usher in the Christmas holiday in New York City. The four included Madison Dinger, 16, daughter of Brian and Shannan Dinger; Ella Harrington, 16, daughter of John and Holly Harrington; Kelsey Looney, 15, daughter of Mike and Jessica Looney; and Parker Meyers, 16, daughter of Aaron and Jenn Meyers. They were selected to be part of the approximately 600 girls who made up the Spirit of America cheerleading squad who participated in the 2024 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.

The girls’ journey began over the summer. The Spirit of America squad is made up of top performers selected from camps that are held nationwide.

“They were selected at their Canfield High School cheer camp that was held at Cheertime Athletics in Niles,” said Shannan Dinger, spokeswoman for the girls, and Madison’s mother.

Each girl had to try out and submit an application and video of under two minutes of a performance. The four were named to be part of the Spirit of America team and were sent a video of the performance so they could familiarize themselves with the routine before arriving in New York City. When the practice began, the girls would simply be tweaking their routine.

On Oct. 24 and 25, they received their uniforms and a Spirit of America jacket for their trip to New York. They also had to come up with the $2,725 fee, which covered the cost of their room at the New York Hilton Midtown for six nights. The fee also covered entrance into the Empire State Building, the Statue of Liberty harbor cruise ship, the 9/11 memorial, and the Broadway show “Hell’s Kitchen.”

“I was so excited, knowing that this would be a unique and unforgettable experience,” Ella said. “I felt deeply grateful for the opportunity to be a part of something so significant — not only within my family’s traditions but also within the traditions shared by millions of people.”

The girls had to find their own way to the Big Apple and had to arrive on Nov. 23 for orientation and they immediately began their rehearsal as a large group.

“We rehearsed all week leading up to the parade,” Madison said. “Sometimes several hours a day, twice a day, with practices morning and night with sightseeing in between.”

All the hard work and effort came to a head on Thanksgiving morning. The girls were up at 4 a.m. to begin preparations for the parade, according to Shannan Dinger. On parade day, the weather was a factor.

“It was so cold. We were freezing, and our clothes were soaked,” Kelsey said. “They had us wear body wraps and we had to take the ponchos on and off so many times while they decided what they wanted us to wear.”

“We were in cheer uniforms so it was kind of hard to keep warm,” Madison said. “I did put a long sleeve shirt under the uniform but we were pretty cold and wet. I would say just the cheering / walking and excitement was our only way to stay warm.”

Performing in the parade in front of the Macy’s flagship store in Herald Square is what most people see on their television screen, but for the four Canfield girls, it was the behind the scenes stuff that was impressive.

“The excitement of being on TV, the excitement of being in NYC, the excitement of just being a part of the parade was so much fun,” Kelsey said. “I thought it was really cool when we went to the Macy’s star and they had to fix the lighting and make sure the cameras were in the right spot for Thanksgiving Day. There was a lot of behind the scene stuff that people don’t usually see that we got to see.”

“I think seeing the floats in person and then walking the streets of New York City and really taking it all in, and seeing how excited and involved the crowd was, to just be a part of that was the best part for me,” Madison said. “Also stopping in front of Macy’s and performing on live TV was something I’ll never forget.”

The girls returned to their hotel after the parade. All four girls said they made many new friends from other states and they have remained in touch with them as they relive a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Each girl took back special memories of the week in New York City and being part of an event that officially kicks off the Christmas season.

“I would say going to the top of the Empire State Building, and seeing the Rockettes were my favorite memories,” Kelsey said. “My mom always talked about how she used to see the Rockettes when they would travel to Detroit. But actually seeing the show in a New York theater was so much fun. The Empire State Building hurt my ears going up in the elevator but once you got to look at the city from that high, it was so cool. Me and my friend Ella did get to see Jennifer Garner, which also was very exciting.”

“After seeing the Broadway play ‘Hell’s Kitchen,’ we were in Times Square making ‘Empire State of Mind’ videos and then we looked up and our chaperone wasn’t there. We were walking around Times Square and singing trying to find her,” Madison said. “I loved going to Radio City (Music Hall) and seeing the Christmas Spectacular show with the Rockettes, freezing on our ferry but having a lot of laughs on the Statue of Liberty tour, spending the day shopping in Soho with my friend Julia. Ice skating at Rockefeller ice rink with my family and friends was awesome and just like out of the movies. Just having this amazing experience in general is something I will never forget along with creating memories and bonds with the friends I already knew and making new friendships that will last a lifetime.”

“I’ve watched the parade on TV every year since I was little, so to get the opportunity to not only see the parade in person, but to be a part of it doing what I love most felt so surreal,” Parker said. “My favorite memory from the trip was when me, Maddi, and our friends Nina, Melina, and Julia were singing “Empire State of Mind” and skipping down the street trying to find our chaperone Molly because we lost her.”

“I think the best memory for me was returning to the hotel room after a long day of practice, sightseeing, and more practice, then sitting down with all the girls and laughing nonstop about the crazy things we saw and did, and the sheer disbelief that we were actually there, in the center of such an exhilarating experience,” Ella said. “For the parade my favorite memory was performing on the star. It was a dream come true and something I’ll never forget.”

Shannan said it was optional for parents to come and all four girls’ families did just that. They all wanted the thrill of seeing their daughters perform for the nation.