Thanksgiving Parade

Pre-talk:

● What is Thanksgiving?● Why do Americans celebrate this holiday?● What do people do on Thanksgiving?

Picture Talk:

● What is happening in this picture?● Where is this taking place?● Have you ever experienced a similar parade before?

Headline: Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade (Source: by Wiki)

Article Highlights:

In the 1920s, many of Macy's department store employees were first-generation European immigrants. Proud of their new American heritage, they wanted to celebrate the American holiday of Thanksgiving with the type of festival their parents had loved in Europe.

In 1924, the annual Thanksgiving parade started by Louis Bamberger in Newark, New Jersey at the Bamberger's store was transferred to New York City by Macy's. In New York, the employees marched to Macy's flagship store on 34th Street dressed in vibrant costumes. There were floats, professional bands and live animals borrowed from the Central Park Zoo. At the end of that first parade, as has been the case with every parade since, Santa Claus was welcomed into Herald Square. At this first parade, however, the Jolly Old Elf was enthroned on the Macy's balcony at the 34th Street store entrance, where he was then "crowned" "King of the Kiddies." With an audience of over 250,000 people, the parade was such a success that Macy's declared it would become an annual event.

At the finale of the 1928 parade, the balloons were released into the sky, where they unexpectedly burst. The following year, they were redesigned with safety valves to allow them to float for a few days. Address labels were sewn into them, so that whoever found and mailed back the discarded balloon received a gift from Macy's.

Through the 1930s, the Parade continued to grow, with crowds of over one million people lining the parade route in 1933. The first Mickey Mouse balloon entered the parade in 1934. The annual festivities were broadcast on local radio stations in New York City from 1932 to 1941,[6] and resumed in 1945, running through 1951.

The parade was suspended from 1942 to 1944 as a result of World War II, owing to the need for rubber and helium in the war effort. The parade resumed in 1945 using the route that it followed until 2008. The parade became known nationwide after being prominently featured in the 1947 film, Miracle on 34th Street, which included footage of the 1946 festivities. The event was first broadcast on network television in 1948 (see below). By this point the event, and Macy's sponsorship of it, were sufficiently well-known to give rise to the colloquialism "Macy's Day Parade".

Discussion:

1) Do you enjoy holidays?a. How so?b. Which is your favorite holiday?c. What do you like to do on your favorite holiday?

2) Have you ever celebrated an American Thanksgiving?a. What was it like?b. Why would you like to try?

c. Do you enjoy turkey?3) Have you ever attended a parade?

a. What was it for?b. What was it like?c. What did you enjoy about it?d. Who did you go with?e. What time did you go?f. How long were you there for?

4) Would you ever go to NYC to see the Macy’s day parade?a. Why (not)?b. Do you think it would be better than the Disney parades?c. What float would you like to see?d. Do you think this is exciting for children? Why (not)?

5) Do you think this is too costly of an event?a. Should this only be marked under Macy’s? Why (not)?

6) Have you ever coordinated an event before?a. What event was it for?b. What was your biggest challenge?c. What did you learn from this?d. How did you get help?e. What venue was it held at? How did you arrange?

7) Why are parade’s important to society?a. What value does it bring to people?b. What value does it bring to businesses?

Extra Photos