Chicago Thanksgiving Parade: Difference between revisions

The '''Chicago Thanksgiving Parade''', "Chicago's Grand Holiday Tradition", is an annual parade produced and presented by the Chicago Festival Association (CFA). It is held in downtown [[Chicago]], [[Illinois]], every [[Thanksgiving (United States)|Thanksgiving]] morning from 8:00  am until 11:00  am CST. It is televised locally on [[WAOEWCIU-TV]] and its [[sister station]]s; from 2007 to 2019 the event was carried on [[WGN-TV]] and its [[NewsNation|superstation feed]] nationwide.

== History ==

Chicago's first Christmas Parade was on State Street on December 7, 1934. Gregory and a costumed [[Santa Claus]] led the caravan, which was filled with toys and various merchandise from State Street businesses. As 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 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).

In 1969, the ''[[Chicago Tribune]]'' reported that more than 1.5 million people lined the parade route.

The parade saw its first title sponsor in 1984. The parade was renamed "The Ronald McDonald Children's Charities Parade.". The route of the parade was also changed from State Street to Michigan Avenue. [[McDonald's]] was the title sponsor until 1989, and has had some sort of sponsorship with the parade to this day.

In 1990, the parade became known as "The [[Brach's]] Kid's Holiday Parade." . Local confectioner [[Brach's Confections, Inc.]] assumed the title sponsorship of the parade until 1998.

In 1998, [[Marshall Field's]] took over as title sponsor of the parade. "The Field's Jingle Elf Parade" was created and lasted through the 2001 parade. The [[Radio City Rockettes]] began a three-year run of opening the parade's television broadcast with a high-kicking routine. That same year, the parade started focusing on debuting several giant character balloons. Starting with [[Kermit the Frog]] and [[Billy Blazes]], Chicago's Thanksgiving Parade has introduced more recognizable character balloons since this time than any other parade in the country.

The "Target Thanksgiving Parade" was formed in 2002, as Target took over title sponsorship of the parade. In this year, CFA signed a five-year national syndication deal with [[ABC 7 Chicago]]. A partnership with CFA and The League of Chicago Theatres was formed as well, resulting in several local and national touring theatre companies performing vignettes of their current productions for the parade.

In 2003, the parade was renamed the "State Street Thanksgiving Parade." . The parade presented its first-ever unit from Hawaii – E la Ka Hololio Me Ke Kahiau, a traditional equestrian group from Kailua, Hawaii.

In 2006, the parade assumed the name "McDonald's Thanksgiving Parade," as the McDonald's Owners of Chicagoland and Northwest Indiana and the [[McDonald's]] Corporation announced a two-year title sponsorship of the parade. Close to a half-million spectators line Chicago's State Street for one of the warmest Thanksgiving mornings in memory.

In 2007, WGN-TV and CFA announced that the station would broadcast the McDonald's Thanksgiving Parade live and in high definition on WGN 9 Chicago. Available in 72 million homes at that time, [[WGN America|Superstation WGN]] (now WGN America) also aired the parade live across the nation. This establishes the parade as one of three parades in the country to be covered live, in its entirety, on a national television broadcast.

In 2010, the parade announced local-born actress Jennifer Beals as its Grand Marshal. The parade reached a record high 3.75 million viewers across the country. Over 350,000 spectators braved the elements and attended the parade in person on State Street.

In 2020, saw no parade as a result of the [[COVID-19 pandemic]]; parade organizers noted they had been ordered by the city of Chicago not to hold the parade, nor any other "special events.". This was the first cancellation in history, with the 87th edition being deferred to 2021.

* 1934: '''Christmas Caravan'''

* 1984–1989: '''McDonald's Children's Charity Parade'''

* 2003-2005: '''State Street Thanksgiving Parade'''

* 2006-2017: '''McDonald's Thanksgiving Parade'''<ref>{{cite book | first=Robert | last=Ledermann | year=2004 | title=Chicago's State Street Christmas Parade (IL) (Images of America) | page= 12 | publisher=[[Arcadia Publishing]] | isbn=0-7385-3273-8}}</ref>

* 2019, 2021–2021–present: '''Chicago Thanksgiving Parade'''

Every year, more than 100 different groups, otherwise known as "units", walk down the parade route. These units are made up of [[#Balloons|Giant Inflatables]], [[#Specialty units|Specialty Units]], [[#Equestrian units|Equestrian Units]], [[#Marching bands|Marching Bands]], and [[#Floats|Floats]].

[[Teddy Turkey]] is the plump mascot of the Uncle Dan's Thanksgiving Teddy also is known to make appearances throughout the city, helping to spread the holiday spirit – year round – to everyone he meets. Teddy has a Facebook page at facebook.com/teddyturkey<ref>http://facebook.com/teddyturkey {{User-generated source|certain=yes|date=March 2022}}</ref> and a Twitter account at @TeddyTurkey.<ref>https://twitter.com/{{Cite Twitter profile|teddyturkey}}</ref>

The Uncle Dan'sChicago 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.

Every year, the producers of the parade hold a parade training school to ensure sufficient preparation in several of the volunteers. For many years the Chicago Festival Association, the pa with the [[Museum of Science and Industry (Chicago)|Museum of Science & Industry]] in Chicago, and hold the day's proceedings there. 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.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.prnewswire.org|title=Parade Balloon School Is in Session|date=November 18, 2005|accessdateaccess-date=February 27, 2008|publisher=Miller-Pear Public Relations|url-status=dead|archiveurlarchive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19991128233953/http://www.prnewswire.org/|archivedatearchive-date=November 28, 1999|df=mdy-all}}</ref> All volunteers are treated to a sneak preview of the parade. 2010's parade school included performances from Miss Illinois and the 501st Midwest Garrison. Honorary Grand Marshal Ronald McDonald also gave a motivational speech and emceed the event.

*'''2006''': Teddy Turkey '''''(cold air)''''', [[Humpty Dumpty]], [[Hickory Dickory Dock]], The Gingerbread Man, ''[[Bear in the Big Blue House]]'', The Nutcracker, [[Frosty the Snowman]], [[Kermit the Frog]], [[Bert &and Ernie]], T-Rex, [[Veggie Tales|Bob & Larry]], [[Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer|Rudolph]]

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.

'''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''.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://thethanksgivingday.com/|title= 2007 McDonald's Thanksgiving Parade |accessdateaccess-date=February 28, 2008 |publisher=The Thanksgiving Day Publisher}}</ref>

| publisher = Chicago Daily Herald

}}</ref> Altogether, approximately 3000 high school band members play in the parade.

*'''2022''': Cedarville HS Marching Band, Lumen Christi Marching Band, [[Northwestern University Wildcat Marching Band]], [[Indiana University Marching Hundred]], McLean High School Band, Pride of Dayton Marching Band

== The parade today ==

| work = Chicago Sun-Times

}}</ref> Before that time, the parade had been produced for several years by the Chicago Christmas Parade Association.<ref>{{cite press release

| publisher = Global News Wire

| work = Chicago Sun-Times

| publisher = Chicago Daily Herald

}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite news

| publisher = Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

}}</ref> In any case, as the parade grew in only a few years, [[Economy of Chicago|Chicago's economy]] is continuing to see the parade's growing benefits. Hence, criticism about its location change has long-since passed.

In 2008, the parade was on its 75th year. That year's parade was broadcast for three hours, from 8 :00 am to 11 :00 am CST on WGN-TV9 and WGN-DT9.1 in Chicago, and WGN America nationwide. This makes the Chicago Thanksgiving Parade one of only two parades (the [[Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade]] being the other) to be broadcast in its entirety to a nationwide audience. 2008 also featured Grand Marshal [[Jennie Finch]], [[WWE]] wrestler (and Chicago native) [[CM Punk]] and the [[Harlem Globetrotters]].

In 2010, Grand Marshal [[Jennifer Beals]], Honorary Grand Marshal [[Ronald McDonald]], and [[Santa Claus]] were featured in a three-hour entertainment extravaganza. The parade featured the top marching bands in the country, including powerhouses Marist High School, Proviso East High School, Houston County High School and more. The parade featured the debut of several giant balloons as well, including [[Yogi Bear]], [[Fred Flintstone]], and [[Scooby-Doo (character)|Scooby-Doo]].

In 2011, Grand Marshal [[Holland Taylor]], Chicago's Black Ensemble Theater, the EriAm Sisters and Celeste Kellogg were featured in the parade. The parade concluded with its first closing number, a tribute to ''Ferris Bueller''. In this ending, [[Santa Claus]] and WGN's Ana Belaval led the crowd in dancing to "Twist and Shout".<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://facebook.com/mcdonaldsthanksgivingparade |title=- "Parade Finale" video |website=[[Facebook]] |access-date=January 11, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171230175852/https://www.facebook.com/mcdonaldsthanksgivingparade/ |archive-date=December 30, 2017 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

|url = http://www.chicagofestivals.org/paradeInfo.htm

|title = Parade Info <!-- |work = Chicago Festival Association -->

|publisher = Phil Purevich

|accessdateaccess-date = February 26, 2008

|archiveurlarchive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080131103327/http://www.chicagofestivals.org/paradeInfo.htm <!-- Bot retrieved archive --> |archivedatearchive-date = January 31, 2008}}</ref> WGN airs the parade in conjunction with its annual retrospective special, ''[[Bozo, Gar and Ray: WGN TV Classics]].''

In 2008, WGN and WGN America aired the parade for three hours. This was a first for Chicago's Thanksgiving Parade. Leading off with Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey, the first hour showcased some of the area's top theatre and ethnic performance groups. The following two hours showcased the parade, including the official McDonald's Thanksgiving Parade marching band from Proviso East High School.

The team of [[Paul Konrad]] and [[Robin Baumgarten]] were the hosts of the parade 2007 to 2013. [[Ana Beleval]] has been the on-street reporter from 2010 to 2013.

[[Mark Suppelsa]] and [[Micah Materre]] hosted the 2014 parade with on-street reporter [[Amy Rutledge]].

With WGN-TV severing all remaining ties with WGN America (other than ownership) at the end of 2014, and the latter eliminating all Chicago-related programming from its lineup, the McDonald's Thanksgiving Parade (which remains on WGN America's schedule) iswas the onlylast programming that still overlapsoverlapped between the two stations.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.chicagofestivals.org/frequently-asked-questions/ |title=ArchivedFrequently Asked Questions - McDonald's Thanksgiving copyParade |access-date=November 6, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151104004327/http://www.chicagofestivals.org/frequently-asked-questions/ |archive-date=November 4, 2015 |url-status=dead }}</ref> WGN America quietly dropped the parade simulcast prior to 2019, though WGN carried it locally and online that year.<!-- as per listings on Zap2it retrieved November 16, 2019 -->

In 2021, the parade severed ties with WGN and announced it would air that year's parade on VPOD TV, an [[independent station (North America)|independent]] micro-network carried across northern Illinois on the digital subchannels of [[WTVK (TV)|WAOE]], [[WCHU-LD]] and [[W27EBWILC-DCD]] (all virtual channel 59). As VPOD TV is not carried on any cable or satellite provider (the channels' owners have opted to use their [[must carry]] privileges on an all-[[infomercial]] subchannel), the event will bewas simulcast online, and an audio relay willwas also be carried on [[WCKG]].

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 (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 is shown as a prized public icon.

[[Category:ChicagoOriginal televisionprogramming showsby local channels in Chicago]]