Thanksgiving Saturday in Detroit MI

Do you remember going to Hudson's during the Christmas season? Me, too!

Do you remember going to the Ford Rotunda during the Christmas season? Me, too!

Do you remember taking your children to Cobo Hall during the Christmas season? Me, too!

Well, now you can take your grandchildren to Paradeland on Saturday, November 27 and continue the fun experience of the America's Thanksgiving Parade!

Located at the Parade Company Studios at 9500 Mt. Elliott in Detroit, A Day at Paradeland will feature the parade floats and balloons, arts and crafts, sing-a-longs, games, food, and the Radio Disney D-Tour Show. You will be able to see all of the floats and balloons right up close. Of course, Santa will also be there for those photos!

Come by this Saturday, November 27 2010 from 10am to 6pm--it's only one day, and start a new Christmas in Detroit tradition with your family. OK, it's not Hudson's or the Ford Rotunda, but it looks like a lot of fun and supports all of the charities and non-profits assisted by the Michigan Parade Foundation.

Admission is $6.00 for ages 3 and up; a $1 off coupon is available at The Parade Company Website.

America's Thanksgiving Parade: Detroit MI

Today is the 84th Annual Thanksgiving Parade down Woodward Avenue in Detroit MI. Originally the J.L. Hudson's Thanksgiving Parade, it is one of the largest Thanksgiving parades in the United States.

After Hudson's left Detroit, the Thanksgiving Parade was almost doomed to extinction due to lost sponsorship. But former Michigan First Lady Paula Blanchard Stone, along with Art Van Elslander, founder of Michigan-based Art Van Furniture, stepped in to form the Michigan Parade Foundation and save the Detroit Thanksgiving Parade.

Today, the America's Thanksgiving Parade has scores of local and national sponsors and can be viewed every Thanksgiving morning all over America.

In addition to the big and beautiful balloons and exquisite floats, the Parade includes special groups and activities that help with funding and scholarships through and for the Michigan Parade Foundation:

• The Hob Nobble Gobble: an evening of fun, dinner, artists--black tie now held at Ford Field.
• The Distinguished Clown Corps: businesses and individuals pay a sponsorship fee to appear as clowns in the Parade.
• The 5K Turkey Trot: run early Thanksgiving morning; most runners accept donations for the Parade Foundation.
• The Big Head Corps: similar to the Distinguished Clowns, people again pay sponsorship fees to walk the parade in those huge papier mache heads. 

The Parade ends every year with an appearance by Santa himself, who is given a key from the current Detroit Mayor to the City of Detroit and to the hearts of every child in the metro Detroit Area.