Macy’s Day Parade
Thanksgiving is a holiday rich in tradition. Roasted turkeys and cranberry sauce line tables across the country, football games commence in the crisp autumn air, and on Thanksgiving morning, Americans turn on their television sets to witness the Macy’s Day Parade.
“Thanksgiving is an important holiday in my family, and the Macy’s Day Parade is a tradition, everyone sits in front of the TV and usually it involves a look of ooh-ing and ahh-ing over the balloons,” Sophomore Anna Potsch said. “I overslept and missed it one year and I remembering feeling devestated.”
The first Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade was held in 1924. Spectators woke Thanksgiving morning and watched as animals from the Central Park Zoo strolled along the streets of New York City. The parade was a hit- Macy’s officials decided to hold the event every year.
As the years went by, the Parade became more and more elaborate. Balloons first made an appearance in 1927, floats became a staple part of the production in 1969 and in 1947, the Parade was broadcast live on television across America.
Intermixed within the Parade program are a select group of marching bands. Margaret Camp-Blair, a UHS Junior, sometimes watches the parade with her family and looks forward to this aspect of the production: “We normally just watch it for the bands, really.”
Another important aspect of the Macy’s production is the Broadway Show performances before the floats hit the parade route. This year, various numbers will be performed from “Billy Elliot (The Musical),” “Bye Bye Birdie,” “Hair” and “Shrek (The Musical).”
This year, UHS, you can tune in to see history be made: The 2009 Parade will feature a new route. Instead of taking place on Broadway, the floats, balloons, bands and various other performers will march down 7th Avenue. To witness this change, watch NBC at 9 am on November 26, 2009 for the 83rd Macy’s Day Parade.
*All information regarding the Parade was taken from http://social.macys.com/parade2009/.
About The Author
I went to the Parade last year it was cool i loved it so much.It was so packed.I remeber when this man couldn’t see he got on a street light and sat on top of it.It was cool.That was a cool thing to go and watch.