As always time has just flown by and the holiday season is once more upon us. It's almost time once again for Turkey Day just one week from today for any of you not keeping track. This means getting together with friends and family for the day and devouring food until you feel like your going to burst.
Oh the food - turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, vegetables, pies etc. - not to mention catching up with everyone which typically includes plenty of talking and laughing but what I really want to write about is the event that happens every year in the morning before the festivities begin.
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| 2016 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade |
The event of course would be the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Growing up I remember being happy about going to my grandparents house for dinner but being more excited about plunking myself down in front of our clunky TV to watch the parade.
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| 1934 Mickey Mouse - First Disney Balloon |
You might be surprised to learn that the parade was actually started in Newark N.J. by Louis Bamberger who owned the department store Bamberger's. Bamberger's was eventually bought by Macy's and in 1924 the parade was moved to New York City where employees marched to Macy's flagship store on 34th street dressed in vibrant costumes. The parade also consisted of floats, professional bands and live animals that had been borrowed from Central Park Zoo.
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| Santa's Arrival - Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade |
This particular parade also marked the beginning of Santa Claus arriving at the end of the parade, however in 1924 he was on the balcony of Macy's 34th street entrance and was crowned "King of the Kiddies". The parade was such a success - an audience of over 250,000 people - that Macy's decided right then and there that the parade would become an annual event.
Of course what would the parade be without the balloons, I think these were always my favorite part. I mean as a child - and many adults for that matter - how could you not get excited over these giant floating representation of your favorite cartoon characters, it was like Saturday morning TV had come to life.
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| Anthony Sarg - Puppeteer |
Anthony Sarg loved working with marionettes, soon after moving to New York he began performing with his puppets on the city streets. The executives at Macy's heard about this talented man and asked him to design a window display of the parade for the store, this of course led to the birth of the giant balloons. In 1927 the large animal shaped balloons - which replaced the live animals - that had been designed by Mr Sarg and produced by the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Co made their official debut in the parade.
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| Anthony Sarg - Thanksgiving Day Parade Balloon Creator |
As a result of World War II the parade was suspended from 1942 - 1944, this was due to the need for rubber and helium. The balloons have been made by Raven Aerostar in Sioux Falls South Dakota since 1864.
The parade continued to grow in popularity through the 1930's with crowds of over a million people lining the route in 1933. The first broadcast of the parade was by local radio stations in New York City, network television broadcasts began in 1948. This was a result of the parade being featured in the 1947 film Miracle on 34th Street - I love this movie - which included actual footage of the 1946 parade.
Whatever your favorite part - the marching bands, floats or balloons - remember to set your alarm next Thursday morning and spend time with your family enjoying a Thanksgiving Day Tradition. Have a safe and happy Thanksgiving Day.
