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PARADE
PREVIEW: New Floats, Balloon and Marching Bands to join 2008 Parade
PHOTO
BY JASON RZUCIDLO / ©AMERICAJR.com
America's
Thanksgiving Parade kicks off at 9:20 a.m.
DETROIT
-- As hundreds of thousands of people line Woodward Avenue
and millions watch across the country, they will notice three new
floats, one new balloon and a first-time marching band. America's
Thanksgiving Parade celebrates its 82nd year of making magic and
memories for children and adults. It all begins at the intersection
of Woodward and Mack and travels south on Woodward to Congress on
Thursday at 9:20 a.m.
4,500
volunteers. 300 papier-mâché heads. Over 75 floats,
balloons and celebrities. That's what it takes for America's Thanksgiving
Parade to be successful. "Legends and Lollipops" is this
year's parade theme. The annual tradition highlights the city's
growth and major transformations.
Three new
floats were added to the parade. First, Putting America on Wheels,
is a float sponsored by UAW-GM. It features five different functioning
motors and two generators. The float is 20 feet wide, 40 feet long
and includes over 100 buttons.
“Thanksgiving
is a day when American families pause to count their blessings,”
said Diana Tremblay, GM North America Vice President, Labor Relations.
“The same is true for the UAW-GM family. We’re very
grateful to be part of the American tradition.”
Secondly,
Building a Life, is a new float sponsored by National City.
It represents the many stages in life -- saving for a child, building
a business, having a family and planning for retirement. It resembles
a large Monopoly-like game board with bank game pieces and a wise
banker owl helping to oversee the steps. It features a spinner that
is 5 feet long and 12 feet tall, a piggy bank capable of holding
$200 in pennies, a hammer that weights over 1,000 pounds and dice
that are big enough to hold 93,000 regular-sizes dice.
“National
City Bank is very excited about supporting The Parade Company and
this wonderful holiday tradition that brings the entire community
together,” said David Boyle, President, Michigan & Northwest
Ohio Banking, National City Bank.
Two students
had the opportunity to get their drawings turned into a real-life
float and balloon. Julissa Madrigal's drawing of Our Aquarium
was turned into a life-size float. She is a 7th grade student from
Earhart Middle School in Detroit. Emirene Munoz's design, Elephante,
was turned into a larger-than-life balloon that will be a part of
the parade. She is an 8th grade student from Clippert Academy in
Detroit.
Eastern
Michigan University's marching band will perform during the parade
for the very first time. The group is expected to be on TV at around
10:03 a.m.
Celebrities
that will make appearances during the parade or will ride on floats
are: Brooke Hogan, The Contours featuring Silver Potts, Brandy,
Lloyd, Meadowlark Lemon, Mitch Ryder, Nuttin Buy Stringz, and Vicki
Winans. New Detroit Mayor Ken Cockrel Jr. will present Santa Claus
with the key to the city for the first time.
Grand
marshals including Olympic-winning swimmer Peter Vanderkaay, Olympic-winning
runner Garrett Weber Gale, Olympic-winning soccer player Lindsay
Tarpley and Paralympic-winning swimmer Cheryl Angelelli. Those individuals
will also ride on the Let Freedom Float during the parade.
Chevrolet
will provide over 40 vehicles that will be used for pulling the
floats, driving costumed characters, assisting in the Turkey Trot
and moving equipment. The Chevy Malibu and Traverse will serve as
pace cars at the start of the parade.
Parade
activities begin early with the 26th Annual Turkey Trot, 6th Annual
Mashed Potato Mile and 3rd Annual Stuffing Strut. It all kicks off
with the Mashed Potato Mile at 7:30 a.m. The one-mile walk/run allows
runners of all ages to enjoy the same magic of the Turkey Trot.
The Turkey Trot and the Stuffing Strut begin at 8:00 a.m. The trot
is one of Michigan's largest 10K runs while the strut is a 5K run.
Both start and finish at Cobo Center.
The
route has changed for the walk/run events. The course used to go
around the campus of Wayne State University. The farthest north
it now runs is Woodward and Mack then it heads south and east past
the Renaissance Center and turns at Chene Park.
“We
at Fifth Third Bank are delighted, for the seventh year, to show
our support for America’s Thanksgiving Parade® with these
outstanding community events,” said Jack Riley, Vice President
and Marketing Director of Fifth Third Bank. “The experience
gets better each year.”
Entries
received November 22nd through race day remain $10 for the Mashed
Potato Mile, but increase to $35 for the Turkey Trot and Stuffing
Strut each. Registrations are accepted on race day at Cobo Center
for the Mashed Potato Mile, Stuffing Strut and Turkey Trot. Participants
can register online by visiting www.theparade.org
or by calling the Turkey Trot Hotline at 313.247.4149.
We
look forward to seeing you at America's Thanksgiving Parade! We'll
be interviewing spectators and recording video footage of the parade.
If you see us, you could be on AmericaJR.com! We'll see you on Woodward
Avenue... Stay tuned for a BIG contest on our website on the night
after the parade!
PHOTO
BY JASON RZUCIDLO / ©AMERICAJR.com
The
Mashed Potato Mile begins at 7:30 a.m. while the Turket Trot and
the Stuffing Strut begin at 8:00 a.m.
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