Thanksgiving Parade - Preparation, Part 1 of 2, Plymouth, Massachusetts, USA

I like parades. Especially when there are many loud and colorful marching brass bands with pounding drums. Our parade planners seem to be of like mind. There were bands aplenty for this year's edition of the Thanksgiving Parade in "America's Hometown" - Plymouth, Massachusetts. There were more than 100 entrants which included bands, floats, military, and other interested parties.



This brigade of bicycle police officers was on hand and ready to help keep everyone safe.



The vendors with their rolling shopping carts were stocked and ready along the parade route to entice the children with brightly colored products.



The parade grand marshals welcomed the crowd with rousing cheers. These marshals are the morning television broadcast team from the Boston ABC news affiliate, WCVB Channel 5. By coincidence, I usually watch them every morning and it is odd and slightly jarring to see them as real people, not just as talking heads on the TV screen.



The crowds were arriving for hours before the parade start time to get a prime viewing location on Cole's Hill directly opposite the official reviewing stand and VIP seating area.



Cole's Hill opposite the reviewing stand makes a great place for viewing although I have found that sitting on the steep slope causes a wedgie as gravity slowly slides me downward.  Whoops, that's probably too much information. Maybe sitting on a blanket would negate that effect.  Note to self. Early arrivals who brought chairs and staked out a spot on the flat street level seemed to have the better idea.



And in downtown, the parade route along Court/Main Street was equally jammed with parade watchers waiting patiently for the start.



The reviewing stand and VIP seating section slowly began to fill as start time approached.



There were even Pilgrims in the audience.



Then, at the stroke of 10:30am, the festivities began at the reviewing stand.



And in North Plymouth, the musicians took up their instruments to begin the long march along the mile-plus parade route to the cheering crowds of many thousands.

It takes many unsung heros to put on a parade of this magnitude - thank you to all the behind the scenes folks who worked so hard to make the parade a success for "America's Hometown."

Part 2 will include images of many of the actual parade entrants.