Nov 16, 2009

63rd Annual Carolinas' Thanksgiving Day Parade

The Carolinas' Thanksgiving Day Parade, a tradition since 1947, is a treasured Charlotte regional gem. Close to 500,000 watch the parade from the streets of Charlotte (100,000) and through the television broadcast on WBTV on Thanksgiving Day and again on Christmas Day. Travelmuse.com has named this parade the 4th largest in the country (behind NYC, Chicago and Philadelphia).

This year, Harvey Gantt is the Grand Marshal. “I am pleased and proud to be the Grand Marshal for this great holiday tradition,” said Gantt. “Our region is now a rich melting pot of cultures and traditions. This parade is an event that brings our entire community together to celebrate it all.”

The parade will begin with a giant inflatable turkey…our first move toward balloons! It will also include:

- Participation from 60 regional high schools - Carrousel Princesses from each of those 60 schools - Honor band is Providence High School from Charlotte - More than 100 units, including 14 bands and 37 floats - The Wells Fargo Stagecoach - Latta Equestrian Center’s 12 horses (more horses in this parade than any in the 47 year history - A nod to our history through Meck Dec – Captain Jack will ride!

Once again, Second Harvest will collect food donations through bins at Fourth and Tryon – their float is being created by students from Northwest School of the Arts at their NC Music Factory classroom space – it will be giant fruits and veggies (sounds great)!

For more information, go to www.carrouselparade.org or contact Moira Quinn for pre-interviews.

The parade is presented by the Carolinas Carrousel, Inc., a non-profit organization that recognizes many talented young people for their achievements and talents through its scholarship programs, the Queen’s Scholarship Program and the Band Scholarship Program. The parade is telecast regionally on WBTV, Channel 3 (CBS).

Categories: Community, Arts & Entertainment