NEWARK, Delaware (WPVI) — A tradition for both musicians and shoppers was in full swing this Christmas Eve.<\/p>\n
“This is our 51st year. I was 18 years old when we started this,” said Band Coordinator, Ken Rosenberg.<\/p>\n
The Whale Holiday Marching Band strutted through the Christiana Mall playing recognizable hits both new and old.<\/p>\n
“You’re going to see about 60 marchers and we stop at different places and play our concert tunes, and then we play the theme song of the year. We do that about four times in the time that we’re here,” said Rosenberg.<\/p>\n
Rosenberg drafts his own witty lyrics to create holiday parodies of famous songs of the year.<\/p>\n
“We’ve been coming here for…over 20 years… We brought grandchildren and we come here every year. We love it,” said Judy Tanner of Cecil County, Maryland.<\/p>\n
Mandie Riffert of Newark, Delaware has been playing in the Whale Holiday Marching Band for over a decade.<\/p>\n
This year, her daughter has also joined, giving them an opportunity to play in the same band.<\/p>\n
“People like to see other people happy and our band makes people happy. That’s the simple thing about it. Goodwill at this time of year, or any time of the year, is something that’s really needed in this world, and it just warms your heart to see that,” said Rosenberg.<\/p>\n
For more information, check out the video above.<\/p>\n