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AMERICA’S
THANKSGIVING
PARADE®
READY TO
SHINE ON
WOODWARD
AVENUE
AND
ACROSS
THE
COUNTRY
DETROIT
-
Celebrating
its 92nd
year,
America’s
Thanksgiving
Parade®
presented
by Art
Van
takes
place
tomorrow,
November
22.
America’s
Thanksgiving
Parade
presented
by Art
Van is
recognized
as one
of the
Best
Holiday
Parades
in the
USA
Today
10Best
Reader’s
Choice
travel
award
contest
and one
of the
best
Thanksgiving
parades
in the
country
by U.S.
News &
World
Report
Travel.
Images
are
available
here.
America’s
Thanksgiving
Parade
presented
by Art
Van® has
been
nominated
for the
second
year in
a row by
USA
Today
for the
2018
10Best
Readers’
Choice
travel
awards.
Voting
ends
December
21,
2018.
Voting
one time
per day
is
permitted
at:
https://www.10best.com/awards/travel/best-holiday-parade/
To
commemorate
the life
and
legacy
of
longtime
parade
supporter
Art Van
Elslander,
“Art!!
Heart &
Soul!”
has been
announced
as this
year’s
theme.
Gary and
David
Van
Elslander
will be
riding
in the
parade.
A friend
of the
parade
for over
30
years,
Van
Elslander
is
remembered
and
recognized
as a
great
supporter
of the
Detroit
community.
Art Van
Furniture,
now
under
new
ownership,
continues
the
outstanding
partnership
with The
Parade
Company
as
presenting
sponsor
of
America’s
Thanksgiving
Parade
presented
by Art
Van.
The
iconic
parade
steps
off at
Woodward
and
Kirby,
adjacent
to the
Detroit
Institute
of Arts
in
Midtown,
at 8:45
am and
ends at
Congress
just
south of
Campus
Martius
Park in
downtown
Detroit.
The
historic
parade
will
pass by
some of
Detroit’s
most
notable
landmarks
including
the
Detroit
Institute
of Arts,
Orchestra
Hall,
Comerica
Park,
the Fox
Theatre,
the new
Little
Caesar’s
Arena
and
Campus
Martius
Park as
it
marches
over
three
miles
along
Woodward
Avenue.
GRAND
MARSHAL
This
year’s
parade
will be
led by
Jim
Nantz,
three-time
Emmy
Award
winner
and
five-time
National
Sportscaster
of the
Year
recipient.
The
Voice of
CBS
Sports
and a
frequent
play-by-play
announcer
for the
Detroit
Lion’s
Thanksgiving
Day game
in
Detroit,
Nantz
and his
family
have
attended
and
enjoyed
America’s
Thanksgiving
Parade
presented
by Art
Van for
years.
The
Parade
will be
broadcast
on
WDIV-Local
4 with
pre-parade
coverage
beginning
at 6 am
with
celebrity
interviews.
The
Parade
preshow
begins
at 9 am
and
America’s
Thanksgiving
Parade
presented
by Art
Van is
from
10am –
12pm,
including
a
one-hour
syndicated
national
broadcast
from 10
-11am
reaching
more 185
major
cities
across
the
country.
News/Talk
760
WJR’s
Paul W.
Smith
will
host a
pre-parade
broadcast
from 6am
– 9:30am
104.3
WOMC’s
Stephen
Clark
and
JoAnne
Purtan
will
host a
live
parade
broadcast
starting
at 10
am. For
more
information,
visit
theparade.org.
PARADE
CELEBRITIES
Parade
goers
will
enjoy an
up-close
look at
sports
legends,
Olympic
athletes
and
entertainers:
Jack
Morris –
Former
professional
baseball
starting
pitcher.
Morris
played
for the
MLB
between
1977 and
1994,
mainly
for the
Detroit
Tigers.
A
four-time
World
Series
winner
and a
five-time
All
Star, he
was
inducted
into the
Baseball
Hall of
Fame in
2018.
Sofia
Wylie –
Star of
Disney
Channel’s
hit
series
“Andi
Mack” as
the
character
Buffy,
Wylie is
also
known
for her
talent
as a
dancer,
singer
and big
screen
actress.
Kyle
Mack –
Big Air
Silver
medal
Olympic
snowboarder
at the
2018
Winter
Games in
PyeongChang.
A West
Bloomfield
native,
Mack won
the
Burton
U.S.
Open in
2016
along
with
World
Cup
podiums
and two
World
Championship
medals.
Maia
& Alex
Shibutani
–
Nicknamed
the
“ShibSibs,”
Maia &
Alex are
a
sibling
ice
dance
team.
These
Ann
Arbor
residents
who
trained
at Artic
Edge of
Canton
are
two-time
Olympic
Bronze
medalists,
two-time
U.S.
Champions,
and
Three-time
World
medalists.
Korie
Lee
Blossey
from
Disney’s
ALADDIN
– The
Broadway
actor
and Bay
City
native
will
kick-off
the
Parade
with the
song
“Friend
Like Me”
to
celebrate
the
Detroit
premiere
of this
hit
Broadway
musical.
Desiree
Linden –
Local
star and
winner
of the
2018
Boston
Marathon,
becoming
the
first
American
in 33
years to
win the
women’s
category
in the
event.
She
competed
in the
2012
London
Olympics
and the
2016 Rio
de
Janeiro
Olympics
women's
marathon.
Detroit’s
Favorite
Sports
Mascots
–
Detroit’s
favorite
mascots
including
Hooper,
Roary
and PAWS
will be
riding
on WOMC
104.3’s
float,
“Detroit
Rocks.”
Emily
Sioma –
Miss
Michigan
2019.
Born and
raised
in Grass
Lake,
Michigan,
Simoa is
a
graduate
of the
University
of
Michigan
with a
degree
in
Women’s
Studies.
Aretha
Franklin
Family
Members
– Family
members
of
Aretha
Franklin
will
celebrate
her life
and ride
in her
honor on
parade
morning
with the
Cass
Tech
High
School
Marching
Band.
One of
the
best-selling
musical
artists
of all
time,
having
sold
more
than 75
million
records
worldwide,
the
undisputed
“Queen
of Soul”
created
an
amazing
legacy
of more
than six
decades.
Yankee
Air
Museum
Rosie
the
Riveter
Tribute
Corps –
Women
including
four
original
riveters
- Mary
Reid,
Ethel
Ciczewicz,
Flo
McCarty
and
Phyllis
Lenhard
–
representing
Rosie
the
Riveter,
the
World
War II
American
poster
icon.
Santa
Claus –
Santa’s
grand
arrival
in his
hand-crafted
sleigh
is at
the end
of
America’s
Thanksgiving
Parade
presented
by Art
Van.
SIX
MAGICAL
NEW
FLOATS –
New
floats
will
make
their
way down
Woodward
Avenue
on
Thanksgiving
morning
including:
Children’s
Hospital
of
Michigan
– “All
Kids
Deserve
the
Best”
Delta
Dental
of
Michigan
– “Smile
Safari”
Henry
Ford
Health
System –
“Path to
Wellness”
Lear
Corporation
– “Focus
on the
Drive”
The
Skillman
Foundation
– “Let’s
be
Thankful”
Wayne
State
University
–
“Warrior
Strong”
PARADE
BY THE
NUMBERS
Number
of
floats –
26
Number
of bands
– 13
Number
of
balloons
– 6
Number
of
Distinguished
Clown
Corps –
194
Number
of
papier-mâché
Big
Heads –
80
Number
of beads
–
300,000
Number
of
volunteers
– 2,000
36TH
ANNUAL
STRATEGIC
STAFFING
SOLUTIONS
TURKEY
TROT –
Runners
from
across
the
country
gather
each
year for
the
annual
Strategic
Staffing
Solutions
(S3)
Turkey
Trot,
the
nation’s
largest
run on
Thanksgiving
morning
featuring
a 10k,
5k and
one mile
race.
The
iconic
run on
Woodward
Avenue
and
throughout
downtown
Detroit
attracts
17,000
runners
annually
and is
part of
the
celebration
for
America’s
Thanksgiving
Parade
presented
by Art
Van.
Proceeds
from the
race
benefit
The
Parade
Company.
2018
Boston
Marathon
winner
and
Olympian
Desiree
Linden
will
kick off
the 36th
Annual
Strategic
Staffing
Solutions
(S3)
Turkey
Trot,
the
nation’s
largest
run on
Thanksgiving
morning.
The
Washington
Township
native
became
the
first
American
in 33
years to
win the
women's
category
in the
Boston
Marathon.
She
competed
in the
2012
London
Olympics
and the
2016 Rio
de
Janeiro
Olympics
women's
marathon.
The
event
features
the 10K
S3
Turkey
Trot, a
5k
Ilitch
Companies
Stuffing
Strut
and the
Blue
Cross
Blue
Shield
of
Michigan
Mashed
Potato
Mile
along
with
combination
race
options.
Thousands
of
runners
and
families
dress in
their
favorite
holiday
costumes
and
receive
an
official
race
shirt
and
medal.
Participants
can
enjoy a
runner
Food
Court
and DJ
following
the
race.
DISTINGUISHED
CLOWN
CORPS®
PRESENTED
BY UHY
LLP– For
36
years,
this
group of
more
than 190
corporate
and
community
leaders
generously
contribute
to the
non-profit
Parade
Company
for the
opportunity
to trade
their
business
suits
for
clown
suits as
they
make
their
grand
march
down
Woodward
Avenue
handing
out
beads in
downtown
Detroit.
This
year,
Jeff
Sadowski
will
serve as
2018
Distinguished
Grand
Jester.
Sadowski
is a
shareholder
and
former
head of
IP for
Howard &
Howard
Attorneys
PLLC.
and has
been a
Distinguished
Clown
for 26
years.
BIG
HEAD
CORPS
SUPPORTED
BY
MICHIGAN
LOTTERY
– The
Big Head
Corps is
a group
of young
professionals
who help
support
The
Parade
Company’s
mission
by
raising
funds
towards
the
preservation
and
restoration
of the
world’s
largest
collection
of
papier-mâché
heads.
This
year,
Joe
Kaiser,
2018
Head
Honcho
will
lead the
way down
Woodward
Avenue
along
with 80
other
Big Head
Corps
Members.
HOB
NOBBLE
GOBBLE®
PRESENTED
BY FORD
MOTOR
COMPANY
– Guests
enjoyed
a
star-studded
black-tie
evening
at Ford
Field in
Detroit
during
the
annual
Hob
Nobble
Gobble®
presented
by Ford
Motor
Company
on
Friday,
November
16. This
premier
fundraising
event
celebrates
92 years
of
parade
magic in
Detroit
to
benefit
The
Parade
Company.
Headline
entertainment
for the
evening
was
singer-songwriter
Jesse
McCartney.
THE
PARADE
COMPANY
STUDIO
TOURS –
Take a
magical,
behind-the-scenes
tour of
The
Parade
Company
and see
the
world’s
largest
collection
of
papier-mâché
heads
designed
in Italy
and a
more
modern
take by
the
artists
at the
studio,
and the
larger-than-life
floats
in
America’s
Thanksgiving
Parade
presented
by Art
Van.
Tours
are
offered
year-round
and are
available
for
groups
of 10 or
more by
reservation.
Details
at
theparade.org.
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