The Maple River High School marching band is a well-traveled bunch.

In previous years, the Marching Eagles have performed at the Gator Bowl and Sugar Bowl as well as in the Cherry Blossom Parade in Washington, D.C., and the Fiesta San Antonio. The band performs nationally every other year and has traveled all over the country.

But never to New York City.

This year, however, after receiving an invitation from Mayor Michael Bloomberg, the Marching Eagles will be playing in the 89th annual National Veterans Day Parade on Nov. 11. The parade route will follow Fifth Avenue and feature more than 23,000 participants.

“Every once in a while, you get invited to something with real potential,” said band director Rebecca Carpenter. “And it becomes like a teaching moment.”

But before the Marching Eagles take the national stage, they’ll be honoring veterans at home.

During halftime of Friday night’s football game, Maple River will honor a trio of local veterans: Maple River graduates Jessie Lloyd and Andrew Nortrup-Uhrich and retired Maple River teacher Ted Mays. Lloyd and Mays will be traveling to New York to participate in the parade.

Representatives from the offices of Sen. Amy Klobuchar, Sen. Norm Coleman and Congressman Tim Walz also are slated to attend the ceremony, which will feature a rendition of “Stars and Stripes Forever” and the school fight song.

Carpenter said she’s hoping her students gain an appreciation for veterans by the time they return from New York.

“Not all learning happens within four walls,” she said. “When students travel like this, it’s amazing how much their worlds expand.”