Two decades after marching in the Spartans Drum & Bugle Corps, Julie Jenkins is dusting off her baton for a new kind of spotlight.

She will join nearly 200 current members and alumni of the Nashua-based ensemble for the ultimate encore this week: the 99th annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.

The Turkey Day tradition kicks off at 8:30 a.m. and will air live on NBC and Peacock.

For Jenkins, marching in the parade was an opportunity she couldn’t pass up. She played the baritone horn for two seasons with the Spartans before moving on to the role of drum major for the following three, leading the group to a Division II World Championship with Drum Corps International in 2004, her final year.

“I thought this chapter of my life, from a performance standpoint, was done,” she said. “So, when

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