Detroit Thanksgiving Day parade to kick off at 9:20 a.m.

Thursday, November 27, 2008

Detroit Thanksgiving Day parade to kick off at 9:20 a.m.

The Detroit News

DETROIT -- Thousands of spectators are expected downtown this morning to revel in the festivities of an annual tradition: America's Thanksgiving Parade.

The 82nd event, themed Legends and Lollipops, is scheduled to kick off at 9:20 a.m. on Woodward at Mack Avenue with 225 clowns, 11 giant balloons, 13 marching bands, 26 floats and 4,000 marching volunteers and other surprises.

Some new floats and balloons in the parade include "Elephante," a 25-foot-tall balloon designed by Emirene Munoz, an eighth-grader from Clippert Academy in Detroit; and "Putting America On Wheels," a UAW-GM float showcasing the auto industry's progression from the start of assembling vehicles to modern day robotic technology. The float features six push-cart model cars that represent a Pontiac GTO, Chevrolet Corvette, Chevrolet Malibu Hybrid, Saturn Sky, a 1957 Chevy coupe and the new electric Volt.

The grand marshals will be Olympic winners: Peter Vanderkaay, 2008 Olympic swimming world-record holder in the 800-meter-free relay; Cheryl Angelelli, 2008 Paralympic Games two-time silver medalist swimmer; Garrett Weber-Gale, 2008 Olympic games gold medalist and world-record holder in the 400-meter-free relay; Lindsay Tarpley, member of the 2004 and 2008 Olympic gold-winning women's soccer team.

Featured celebrities also include R&B singer/actress Brandy; R&B singer Lloyd; Nuttin But Stringz from NBC's reality TV show, "America's Got Talent"; and Heidi Scheer, Mrs. Michigan United States.

Joan LeMahieu, president of the Parade Co., which produces the event, told The Detroit News that officials also invited The Contours, featuring Sylvester Potts; Wally Triplett, the first African-American football player to be drafted to play for the NFL; and Meadowlark Lemon, the Clown Prince of Basketball and former Harlem Globetrotter.

I'm disappointed. Too much Christmas in this Thanksgiving Day Parade.

bobrob2004 wrote:

I'm disappointed. Too much Christmas in this Thanksgiving Day Parade.

That has always been part of the parade, in some way or another.

no Tigers dare to show up???

geez, even Nate was one of the grand marshals last year.

Gone are the days when Tigers lived where they played. But then again, they didn't traded as much back then either.

At least some of the guys do purchase seasonal homes in the area. Inge did. Pudge still needs to sell his. I don't know how many others own property in Michigan.

Good Luck with that one, Pudgie! Maybe Kwame would buy it...