In 1966, just months after opening its doors and fielding its first football team, Mountain Brook High School added another milestone — a debut performance by its marching band in Birmingham’s Christmas Parade.

Led by Drum Major Rick Jones, the black-and-gold-clad Spartans made their inaugural public appearance downtown in what was billed as Birmingham’s answer to the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. For the band, which had only recently begun rehearsing as an ensemble, the chance to march alongside established bands from across Jefferson County was both thrilling and daunting.

Injured just weeks before the big event, Jones suffered a leg injury during a football game but was determined to lead the band on both feet — no crutches, no excuses. “I wouldn’t miss it if I had to hop on one leg

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