McDonald's Thanksgiving Parade
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The Chicago Thanksgiving Parade, currently named the McDonald's Thanksgiving Parade (see below), is an annual parade produced and presented by the Chicago Festival Association (CFA). Held in downtown Chicago, the two-and-a-half hour event begins each year at 8:30 a.m. CT on Thanksgiving Day.
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[edit] History
In 1934, the United States had been in the Great Depression for five years. Many leaders in Chicago searched for ways to boost the economy as well as public spirit. Walter Gregory, President of Chicago's State Street Council, proposed a Christmas parade to Chicago Mayor Edward Kelly in the hopes that it would improve the moods of Chicago residents. The Mayor agreed to the parade, being primarily interested in its potential to improve Chicago's economy.
Chicago's first Christmas Parade was on Chicago's State Street on December 7, 1934. Many residents, including Walter Gregory, referred to the holiday event not so much as a "parade", but rather as a caravan. Gregory and a costumed Santa Clause led the caravan, which was filled with toys and various merchandise from State Street businesses. As the the city's government officials had hoped, the parade contributed to desirable growth in the local economy and 1934 held the city's largest holiday buying period since 1927. This was both exciting and surprising for the entire city. Not only was it the Great Depression, but that day held dangerously low temperatures throughout the entire state. Some areas of Illinois were as low as fourteen degrees below zero (fahrenheit).[1]
In 1935, the city was in even worse financial status as a result of the depression. The city could not afford the expensive floats that were used the year before. However, the event had been so successful in the previous year that The State Street Council and City of Chicago agreed to use an old trolley to pull the floats, as there were trolley tracks on State Street at the time.
[edit] Evolution of the Parade
- 1934: Christmas Caravan
On State Street from Wacker Drive to Congress Parkway
Parade route changed as well, now on Michigan Avenue From Balbo Avenue to Wacker Drive
- 1990: The Brach's Holiday Parade (Brach's Confections)
- 1996: The Brach's Kids Holiday Parade
- 1998: The Field's Jingle Elf Parade (sponsored by Marshall Field's)
- 1999: The Field's Jingle Elf Parade Presented by Target & Marshall Field's
Parade route and date changed as well, now on Thanksgiving Day and back on State Street, moving north from Congress Parkway to Randolph Street
- 2002: Target Thanksgiving Parade (Target Corporation)
- 2003: State Street Thanksgiving Parade
- 2006: McDonald's Thanksgiving Parade[2]
[edit] Groups
Every year, more than 100 different groups, otherwise known as units, walk down the parade route. These units are made up of Giant Inflatables, Specialty Units, Equestrian Units, Marching Bands, and Floats.
[edit] Balloons
The McDonald's Thanksgiving Parade uses primarily helium balloons, which have the benefit of floating in the air. In recent years, a helium shortage has caused several parades to cut down or cease their helium use altogether. However, The producers of this parade have yet to express any plans to move to cold air balloons; only one or two cold air balloons are used every year. Chicago's Thanksgiving Parade is the city's only event that features inflatable balloons every year.
[edit] Parade School
Every year, the producers of the parade (see below) hold a parade training school to ensure sufficient preparation in several of the volunteers. For many years the Chicago Festival Association, the parade's producers, have been partnered with the Museum of Science & Industry in Chicago, and hold the day's proceedings there. Although almost 300 volunteers come to the event, the main attraction and section of the school is for the balloon handlers, a name given to the volunteers who balance the giant inflatables as they go down the parade route.[3]
Dynamic Displays, a giant inflatables company based out of Detroit, brings all of their tools to the school, including one of the balloons to be used in the parade as well as hundreds of pounds of helium. After the balloon is filled, groups of balloon handlers circle through the outside lawn of the museum until all volunteers are sufficiently ready for the parade.
Although the producers of the parade organize and run the Parade School primarily as a means to train the volunteers so they're ready on the day of the parade, they have started to see a consistent and alternative pattern. A great number of veteran volunteers return to the training every year because of their enjoyment of the Parade School itself, forcing the parade organizers to have more preparations at the ready.
McDonald's, the parade's current title sponsor, provides resources and representatives as well. Although drinks are mainly provided by The Coca-Cola Company, McDonald's brings the coffee and food to the museum. And along with McDonald's volunteers, the company also brings Ronald McDonald. After Ronald's's speech, which kicks off the Parade School, he visits various volunteers, taking pictures and helping the organizers whenever possible. He has even made television appearances, as the majority of television news stations in Chicago are usually present covering the day's activities.
[edit] Balloon Inflation
The balloons for the parade begin the inflation process before sunrise to the south of the beginning of the parade route. Several volunteers assist Dynamic Displays, a giant inflatable company, in filling the balloons with helium or cold air.[4]
[edit] Featured Balloons
| 2007[5] | 2006[6] |
| Tom Turkey (cold air) | Tom Turkey (cold air) |
| The Cookie Monster (new) | Humpty Dumpty |
| Elmo | Hickory Dickory Dock (cold air) |
| Strawberry Shortcake | The Gingerbread Man |
| Bear in the Big Blue House | Bear in the Big Blue House |
| The Nutcracker | The Nutcracker |
| Pink Panther (new) | Frosty the Snowman |
| Kermit | Kermit |
| Big Bird | Bert & Ernie |
| Popeye (new) | T-Rex |
| Animal | Veggie Tales' Bob & Larry |
| Rudolph | Rudolph |
[edit] Specialty Units
"Specialty units" is a general category and refers to groups with unique skills or routines in the parade, such as international dance groups and sports teams. If they can easily fall into another category first, they will no longer be defined as a specialty unit. For example, if the grouped danced but also featured horses, they would be defined as an Equestrian Unit (see below) instead.
To viewers, specialty units are often considered some of the most anticipated and greatly enjoyed additions to the yearly parade. As such, the search for potential specialty units generally occurs on a year-round basis. Unlike most other parades, the producers of this Chicago parade search for new members in more ways than the standard browsing of electronic and media sources. Representatives from the Chicago Festival Association travel around the country on a regular basis to recruit new acts.
[edit] Equestrian Units
Equestrian Units are groups, or units, which feature horses as part of their performance. This is a unique addition to various parades, and the Chicago Festival Association pays special attention to potential Equestrian Units to add to the parade every year. In 2007 alone, the producers added three new Equestrian Units to the parade. The new units included the Children's Fantasy Theatre Orchard, Illinois Junior Miss Emily Boker, and Southern Ohio Ladies Aside. Since the Chicago Festival Association was given rights to produce the parade, they have made great efforts to bring in Equestrian Units from some of the most popular theater productions in Chicago. For example, in 2007, the Chicago Festival Association welcomed back the Goodman Theatre and the horses and actors from their world renowned production, A Christmas Carol.[7]
[edit] Marching Bands
Marching Bands come to the McDonald's Thanksgiving Parade from all over the country every year, and are mainly recruited by Bowl Games of America. Approximately twenty-four of many of the nation's top high school marching bands appear in the parade from year to year, including the 150 member Bartlett High School Marching Band, which made its first appearance in 2004.[8] Altogether, approximately 3000 high school band members play in the parade.
[edit] Floats
Floats are decorated platforms, which are either built on a vehicle or towed behind one. These creations give groups and organizations a unique opportunity to present themselves to the viewers of the parade. In the 2007 McDonald's Thanksgiving Parade, nineteen organizations and groups created floats to present to those watching.
[edit] The Parade Today
In 2000, the Chicago Festival Association was given the rights to produce the Field's Jingle Elf Parade by the City of Chicago.[9] Before that time, the parade had been produced for several years by the Chicago Christmas Parade Association. [10] In 1999 the Chicago Christmas Parade Association's last year brought a significant change, as they reverted the parade route back to State Street.[11] The parade had previously been on Michigan Avenue (see above).
Many followers took a great deal of pride that the parade had returned to State Street. However, because of the positive effect that the Michigan Avenue parade route had on the city's economy--bringing many potential holiday shoppers into the many world-famous stores on Michigan Avenue--many individuals voiced great criticism. After all, the Greater State Street Council had made it very clear that no State Street businesses would be open for business on Thanksgiving Day.[12] The Chicago Festival Association responded that although the parade was originally created to stimulate economic growth, the parade now primarily exists as a community celebration.[13] In any case, as the parade has made powerful and surprising growth in only a few short years, Chicago's economy is continuing to see the parade's growing benefits. Hence, criticism about its location change has long-since passed.
Since that time, the organization has made many more significant changes, and today the parade is capturing much more attention. In 2002, the Chicago Festival Association changed the parade format from a Christmas or often broadly-labeled holiday parade to the Thanksgiving parade that it is today. In only a few years, the number of spectators on the streets have increased by hundreds of thousands. The parade is also given a live national broadcast. This is generally considered expedient growth, as the parade was available in no more than a handful of cities only two years ago.
Since 2006, McDonald's has been partnered with the Chicago Festival Association as the the parade's title sponsor. Although it isn't publicly known how long McDonald's plans to be the parade's title sponsor, they have frequently and publicly expressed great excitement to sponsor such a quickly growing and greatly loved event.
In 2007, the Chicago Festival Association recruited the pop rock group Plain White T's to perform in the parade. In the last couple of years, the band had reached great success and their single Hey There Delilah had been number one on the Billboard Charts for two weeks. Despite the unseasonably cold temperatures, the Plain White T's agreed to do a free performance in the parade, which was no doubt greatly because of the parade's quickly growing ratings along with the event's first ever national broadcast.
In 2008, the parade will be in its 75th year. The Chicago Festival Association has expressed significant excitement and admits to making special preparations. However, they have yet to admit what exactly their surprises are for this year's McDonald's Thanksgiving Parade.
[edit] Notable New Partnerships
[edit] WGN-TV
In 2007, the Chicago Festival Association signed a contract with Chicago's WGN-TV. Although the parade was in its 74th consecutive year, it was the first to feature a live national broadcast. With WGN-TV partnership, the 2007 McDonald's Thanksgiving Parade became available in approximately 72 million homes across the United States through WGN's superstation simulcast, Superstation WGN.[14] Superstation WGN airs the parade in conjunction with Bozo, Gar and Ray: WGN TV Classics.
[edit] Toastmasters International
Toastmasters International is widely regarded as the largest public speaking organization in the world. In 2006, the organization partnered with the Chicago Festival Association and Toastmasters International speakers became the first ever on-street commentators for the parade. Because of the impressive enhancement, the spectators on State Street are essentially able to know everything that a person knows at home as they watch the live parade on television.[15]
[edit] Northern Illinois University
In 2006, several art students from Northern Illinois University were brought into downtown Chicago the night before the parade to paint the parade's new logo. After the main block of the Parade route was closed off by the Chicago Police Department, the students began painting the image. The NIU art students completed the logo in approximately 2.5 hours and ended up using over seventeen gallons of paint.[16] The logo was painted on what most call the Television Zone of the parade, otherwise known as the block where television and news crews are allowed to cover the parade. As such, the 30 by 50 foot logo was seen on ABC 7 Chicago throughout its entire broadcast.
The positive feedback forged a longer relationship between the Chicago Festival Association and the NIU art department, and plans were made to return to paint the logo in 2007. However, poor weather prevented this possibility.
[edit] Movie Coverage
In the movie The Weather Man, Nicolas Cage plays the role of David Spritz, a middle-age Chicago weather man who finds that he is losing confidence in various aspects of his life. He is also greatly troubled by the low level of respect he is given by residents of Chicago. However, the end of the movie brings a different story, and Spritz (Nicolas Cage) finally gains a new sense of confidence and stability. The culmination of this positive change is when he is shown on top of a float in the State Street Thanksgiving Parade, waiving at all of the excited spectators. This acts as a symbol of his confidence and success. By being on this float, Spritz (Nicolas Cage) is shown as a prized public icon.
To achieve this scene, Paramount Pictures was granted permission by the Chicago Festival Association to film the float as it went down State Street in the 2004 parade. Using Visual Effects, Nicolas Cage was then digitally added to the picture.
[edit] References
- ^ Ledermann, Robert (2004). Chicago’s State Street Christmas Parade (IL) (Images of America). Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 07-38-53273-8.
- ^ Ledermann, Robert (2004). Chicago’s State Street Christmas Parade (IL) (Images of America). Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 07-38-53273-8.
- ^ Parade Balloon School Is in Session. Miller-Pear Public Relations (2005-11-18). Retrieved on 2008-02-27.
- ^ Fabulous Inflatables. Dynamic Displays, Incorported. Retrieved on 2008-02-26.
- ^ McDonald's Thanksgiving Parade Drums up Excitment (PDF). Miller-Pear Public Relations. Retrieved on 2008-02-27.
- ^ Balloons for the 2006 McDonald's Thanksgiving Parade. Chicago Festival Association.
- ^ 2007 McDonald's Thanksgiving Parade (PDF). Chicago Festival Association. Retrieved on 2008-02-28.
- ^ Malone, Tara. "Bartlett High band to join Chicago parade", Chicago Daily Herald, 2004-11-24, pp. 6 - News.
- ^ Busk, Celeste. "Miles of Smiles", Chicago Sun-Times, 2000-11-18, pp. 3 - Weekend Plan.
- ^ Global News Wire (1998-10-19). "MARSHALL FIELD'S HOSTS CHICAGO'S ANNUAL HOLIDAY PARADE". Press release. Retrieved on 2008-02-28.
- ^ Busk, Celeste. "Turkey Day Treat", Chicago Sun-Times, 1999-11-24, pp. 39 - Features.
- ^ Granger, Bill. "Leave the city how you found it", Chicago Daily Herald, 1999-11-23, pp. 11 - Chicago Diary.
- ^ "Downtown stores out of step with Christmas Parade", Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 2000-11-03, pp. 01D - Business.
- ^ Parade Info. Phil Purevich. Retrieved on 2008-02-26.
- ^ PR Newswire Public Interest Services (2006-11-15). "Chicago Parade to Feature Announcers". Press release.
- ^ Art education students return to Chicago to paint Thanksgiving parade’s street logo. Mark McGowan. Retrieved on 2008-02-26.
[edit] External Links
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