81st America’s Thanksgiving Parade® Scheduled for Thursday, November 22 at 9:30 a.m.

DETROIT – The Parade Company is pleased to announce that the theme for the 81st America’s Thanksgiving Parade® is Hats Off Detroit! The theme celebrates the exciting rebirth of downtown Detroit, the development of our Riverfront and the remarkable success of our hometown sports teams.

“The Parade Company is celebrating 81 years of Parade tradition in Detroit. It is magnificent to be part of bringing together the entire community to share in the magic on Woodward Avenue and celebrating the exceptional success of this great city,” said Joan LeMahieu, President of The Parade Company.
The Parade Company has added these “hat-tastic” elements to support the Hats Off Detroit! theme:

• To spotlight Detroit’s own, The Parade Company has created a hat design contest to find the best example of a Warmest Hat, Detroit Hat, Favorite Parade Memory Hat, Biggest Sports Fan Hat and Thanksgiving Hat. From now until Friday, November 9, 2007, The Parade Company is asking participants to submit an actual photo of the crafted hat that best represents one of the five categories to www.clickondetroit.com. November 10-12, 2007, viewers will be able to log onto www.clickondetroit.com and vote for their favorite hat. Grand prize winners will be notified November 13, 2007 and will receive the opportunity to ride on a float in the Parade. The winners’ names will be announced during the Parade as their float makes its way down Woodward Avenue.
• Of the most visible “hat” organizations, The Red Hat Society will participate with a brigade in this year’s Parade. The Parade Company’s very own Distinguished Clown and Parade Company supporter, Francine Pegues, is a member of this fabulous organization.
• The Parade Company costume design team has made over 2,000 custom-designed fleece hats to sell to Parade supporters. All hats are on display in Clownie’s Closet at The Parade Company. For more information on how to purchase these limited edition hats, call 313.923.7400.
• Parade-goers are encouraged to bring new or clean, gently used hats to the Parade. Volunteers will be collecting and filling the hats into the VIA Rail circus train along the Parade route. The hats will be donated to The Lighthouse of Oakland County, COTS and Grace Centers of Hope.
• To highlight the Parade theme, Art Van is partnering with The Parade Company to collect winter hats for local non-profit agencies that support families in need. Residents are asked to drop off new or clean, gently used winter hats at any Ann Arbor, Port Huron or Howell Art Van location November 16-18, 2007. The hats will be donated to The Lighthouse of Oakland County, COTS and Grace Centers of Hope.
• City Knits, celebrating their 5th Anniversary, will host hat-making classes to support Hats Off Detroit! and will create a Clownie pattern that can be used to knit hats, sweaters, blankets and more. This unique pattern can be purchased by calling City Knits at 313.872.9665. City Knits is located in both the Fisher Building and Guardian Building.

America’s Thanksgiving Parade® is one of the country’s oldest and most celebrated. Hundreds of thousands of parade-goers will be watching America’s Thanksgiving Parade® as it makes its way down Woodward Avenue. This year’s Parade will have crowd favorites and new surprises with more than 75 Parade units including floats, balloons, marching bands, clowns, specialty acts and The Parade Company’s own Distinguished Clown Corps.

“America’s Thanksgiving Parade® is a tremendous opportunity to show off our city and its transformation to the millions of viewers watching our Parade,” said Matthew P. Cullen, Chair of The Michigan Thanksgiving Parade Foundation. “The Parade is about bringing imagination to life to create a life-long Detroit tradition for children and adults alike.”

The Parade steps-off at 9:30 a.m. on Woodward Avenue and Mack in downtown Detroit and ends at Woodward Avenue and Congress, Thursday, November 22, 2007. The Parade route will highlight some of the city’s architectural treasures, including the Fox Theatre, and some of downtown’s latest developments including Merchants Row, Compuware World Headquarters and Campus Martius Park.

The two-hour Parade will be featured on WDIV-TV Local 4 including a one-hour national broadcast reaching nearly 100 million households nationwide. NewsTalk 760 WJR will also broadcast live from the Parade. For more information on The Parade Company, visit www.theparade.org or call 313.923.7400.

Source: Lovio|George|Inc. / The Parade Company