Happy Thanksgiving!

Happiest of Thanksgiving to all my readers and your families! I hope that this finds you happy, well and full of gratitude for what life has given you, big and small! Thought today I would share a bit of history and some photos of the famous Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade. Always a family tradition of ours to get up,have pumpkin pancakes and pumpkin coffee and watch the parade...one of the few traditions I have held onto over my lifetime. Enjoy! 

History

In the 1920s, many of Macy's department store employees were first-generation immigrants. Proud of their new American heritage, they wanted to celebrate the United States parade of Thanksgiving with the type of festival their parents had loved in Europe.^[1]

In 1924, the parade (originally known as the Macy's Christmas Parade and later the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Christmas Parade^[2]) was staged by the store. Employees and professional entertainers marched from 145th Street in Harlem to Macy's flagship store on 34th Street dressed in vibrant costumes.^[3] There were floats, professional bands and live animals borrowed from the Central Park Zoo.^[4] 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."^[5] With an audience of over a quarter of a million people,^{[citation needed]} the parade was such a success that Macy's declared it would become an annual event.

Large animal-shaped balloons, produced by the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company in Akron, Ohio, replaced the live animals in 1927 when the Felix the Cat balloon made its debut. Felix was filled with air, but by the next year, helium was used to fill the expanding cast of balloons.

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. [2] Address labels were sewn into them, so that whoever found and mailed back the discarded balloon received a gift from Macy's [3]

Through the 1930s, the Parade continued to grow, with crowds of over 1 million lining the parade route in 1933. The first Mickey Mouse balloon entered the parade in 1934. ***Via and to read more...LINK 

Isn't this gator a riot?

I believe those are the Katzenjammer Kids...early comic strip favorites.

My Dad and myself share a love of Felix The Cat!

Superman flying high!

Prep and repairs of the balloons called for everyone to pitch in.

Humpty Dumpty float

Of course at the very end there has to be Santa!

I just wish to tell all of you, my followers that I am truly grateful for you! That you care enough to read, leave comments, email me, and get to know me outside the blog as well. That you have continued on the journey that is this blog, with all the twists and turns, ups and downs, backs and forths that it takes and all the love you have shown throughout. 

God Bless!