A Detroit Tradition: America’s Thanksgiving Day Parade

{My Favorite Part of My Favorite Holiday!}

As a child, it’s easy to claim Christmas as the best day of the year. But as I’ve grown older, I’ve come to appreciate Thanksgiving as my favorite holiday with its spirit of gratitude, delicious food, and lower stress. America’s Thanksgiving Day Parade down Woodward Avenue in Detroit, has always been the highlight of Thanksgiving for me (okay, that AND stuffing my face with sweet potatoes and pie).

I love the parade because it brings people together in Detroit for something truly special that an entire family can enjoy. I love watching the parade live knowing that hundreds of thousands of other people have gathered alongside me to share something special with their families in the city.

Since my son Oliver was born, my husband has worked right downtown with a perfect view of the parade from his office. His office allows employees to bring their families in on Thanksgiving, so we can enjoy a ringside seat to this awesome event, with the added bonus of heating and indoor plumbing! With a preschooler and baby, this is the perfect arrangement and Oliver really started to get into the parade last year.

Last year we had a chance to get a “sneak peek” of the Parade Company’s warehouse on a tour from a fabulous former co-worker of mine, Kari Shepley, who is the Marketing and Sponsorships coordinator for the Parade Company. It was even more fun to watch the parade after learning about the history and inner workings of this beloved parade! I’ll share some of my favorite insights with you below!

{A One of a Kind Parade}

Detroit held its first Thanksgiving parade in 1924, and it’s the country’s second oldest running Thanksgiving Day Parade (after Pittsburgh).  The parade has run continuously since then, with only two wartime exceptions, and has continued to evolve and grow, while maintaining many of the early traditions of the parade.

The original Detroit Clown Corps – a staple of the parade!

Mother Goose in a parade from the past!

Early on, the parade incorporated “big heads” –  papier-mâché heads of animals or people, that came from Italy – into the festivities. Some of the big heads used today date back all the way to the 1930s – we even got to peek inside them to see the Italian newspaper used to create these awesome works of art! Each year, over 400 donor/volunteers don these head pieces in the parade after being specially fitted to wear the perfect head (sounds crazy, but these bad boys are heavy!)

Just a few of the Big Heads that you will see in the parade!

While you may see big heads in other parades, none will compare to the 400 head fleet represented in Detroit. Over time, the Parade Company team has been trained from artists from Viareggio, Italy (the papier-mâché capitol of the world!), and now create “big heads” for local or national figures (Aretha Franklin, Rosa Parks, and George W. Bush are just a few) in house, though the cherished Italian masterpieces still make an appearance each year.

Beyond the big heads, there are many other unique aspects of the parade that represent the city of Detroit. From Karen Newman singing each year, to celebrity Grand Marshals, to floats incorporating the MoTown Museum and the Spirit of Detroit, the parade is full of Detroit Pride, and a great way to start to teach your kids about the history of this great city!

{Updates and New Floats!}

While the Parade introduces new floats and features each year, it was also amazing to see that many existing floats are updated or repurposed as the years go by to stay fresh. For example, on our tour, we saw a float with an armless Henry Ford – he had previously held a birthday cake to celebrate his 150th birthday in last year’s parade, but the cake no longer made sense in 2014, and was replaced with a new object last year (so keep an eye out!). The floats are made almost entirely from styrofoam, and we were able to see volunteers working on items large and small on our tour!

Henry Ford is an existing float, but the float received a few updates last year – look for at least two big changes in the parade!

A new float – MoTown Musuem!

{It Takes a Village…Or About 5,000 volunteers!}

On the tour I saw dozens, if not hundreds of people all working hard to create and perfect floats and other pieces for the parade. So, I was amazed to learn that a parade enjoyed by as many as a million people live, and many more on television, only has 15 full time employees. While there are also some contractors and vendors, the parade could not happen without the help of the 5,000 volunteers that work to make for such a fabulous tradition. These volunteers and staff do just about everything from within their 218,000 warehouse (an old Dodge plant that was donated).

The staff and volunteer crew are truly dedicated to putting together a world class event. Want to drive a float? First, you’ll need to attend their Float Driving School. Same goes for Balloon Handling – you need to know in advance how to plan for all weather conditions to prevent runaway balloons, how to work with other float handlers to pull the float under the People Mover, etc.

Chilly Willy – the parade’s only “escapee” broke free in the 1990 parade and had to be fished out of a lake! That’s why those balloon handler lessons come in handy!

{The Parade Company AFTER Thanksgiving}

As you can imagine, my visit came during peak prep time as people work non-stop to make sure that the parade will surpass expectations. I can imagine that if I were part of the company, I’d go into a deep hibernation on November 28. But The Parade Company actually works year round, not only to prepare for next year, but also on other projects. In addition to the parade, the company is a full prop studio, and also does many special projects. (Have you seen the larger than life bobble heads throuhout the city? They created them!) They also work with other cities who use the floats in their own parades outside of Thanksgiving Day.

Another newer float, sponsored by Lear Corporation