One student screamed, “Everything is bigger in Texas!”

Whether that is true or not, the students in the Foley High School band are about to find out.

The 200-plus student band will travel to San Antonio for the 2011 Fiesta Flambeau Parade on April 16. The band will leave Foley on Wednesday for the trip and will return on April 17.

The FHS band is the only band from Alabama out of the 47 high school marching bands participating in the 3.5-mile nighttime parade, and the group will travel on across four states on five charter buses to the event. The parade, nicknamed the “People’s Parade,” is viewed by around 500,000 people and will be televised on Public Broadcasting Service, also known as PBS. The event will include thousands of lights illuminating the streets of San Antonio at night while floats, dancers, cars and marching bands travel the parade route.

It will be the first time the FHS band has performed at the parade, but it is not the first time the group traveled out of state to march in a parade.

“The band here has done many things. We’ve done the Peach Bowl Parade and the Chicago St. Patrick’s Day Parade,” Carl Major, now in his 10th year as band director, said. “We try to take a big trip about every other year. It gives our school and city and everything the recognition it deserves.”

The FHS band has been planning this trip for almost two years.

“This is a great opportunity for our band program, the city of Foley and Baldwin County as our band will represent the state of Alabama and the city,” Major said. “We appreciate all of the help and financial support from our local communities. We have been planning this trip for two years and are very excited it is finally time to go.”

Major said the set list will include a “collage of songs” that will include a patriotic medley.

“This is going to be an exciting time for our students,” Jimmy O’ Cain, assistant band director, stated. “This is a night parade and we have lots of lights on our instruments, uniforms and band truck.”

The students also will visit some educational sights — including The Alamo — during the trip.

“We’re going to The Alamo, the river boat scenic tour to learn about the downtown history and the San Antonio Missions National Historic Park,” Major said. “It’s going to be a fun trip for us but also educational.”