I wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving from my couch in Fayetteville, NY. To paint a better picture, the view out of the window to my right is of 6 inches of snow (typical). Playing on the TV in front of me is the Macy’s Day Parade. Sitting on my lap on my computer is 8 tabs of Wikipedia pages describing the history of various cities’ Thanksgiving Day Parades in America. Eight pages? Let me back up.

Thanks to Challenge Detroit and its incredible network, I have had the opportunity to interact with Detroiters from all walks of life since arriving here in August. Some have deep roots in the city, others were drawn to Detroit for a job; each person I’ve met has had a very unique story. But there’s one thing they all seem to agree on: they LOVE the Detroit Thanksgiving Day Parade.

In the Rosenbaum household, it is tradition to gather around the TV and watch the entirety of the Macy’s Day Parade. To be honest, I didn’t even know any other city had a parade. So this year, I was surprised by how often Detroiters mentioned the “famous Detroit Thanksgiving Day parade.” I was intrigued, but also a little bit dismissive of the topic, knowing that I would be in New York for Thanksgiving. I was also unconvinced that any parade could compare to New York City’s.

However, a few weeks ago I met the man who helps run the Detroit Turkey Trot and the Detroit Parade at the Downtown Runner’s Group. Listening to him speak about the event with such pride was enough to push my intrigue at Detroiter’s passion for the Parade over the edge. I did what any seasoned researcher would do: I turned to Wikipedia.

Here’s a bit of what I found: The Detroit Thanksgiving Day Parade began 88 years ago, the same year as the Macy’s Day Parade. Another similarity between the two is the type of sponsor: a department store. Like Macy’s sponsors New York City’s Parade, J.L Hudson’s originally commissioned Detroit’s. Both were meant to drive sales in the stores and kick off the holiday season. Each year since the first, Detroiters have lined Woodward Avenue to be a part of the excitement and ring in the holiday season.

This preliminary research only deepened my intrigue. My thoughts next turned towards the types of floats, balloons, music and other spectacles of the Detroit Parade. Were they specific to Detroit? Or do all of the Thanksgiving Day parades generally highlight the same American icons, celebrities, and cartoons. Unfortunately, at this point in the morning I got pulled to the kitchen to help bake the apple crisp and I abandoned my developing research project.

While peeling apples for the crisp, my creativity kicked in and I thought: who and what would I send down Woodward Ave if I were in charge of the parade. Being a locavore at heart, I knew I would wanted to send  artists, school bands, food trucks, and balloons of historical figures that were significant to Detroit.

Below are a few of my ideas.

-Two huge balloons: one of Dan Gilbert and one of Ilitch facing each other with their arms crossed.

-The typical Dora the Explorer balloon but with a twist: she will be holding the DHive bar and restaurant checklist.

-1 Ford, 1 GM and 1 Chrysler Truck, all driving down the road and fighting for the first spot

-A variety of food trucks including El Guapo and the Mac Shack, followed by farmers who sell at Eastern Market handing out fruit

-The board of the Detroit Riverfront Conservancy who have worked endlessly to make the Riverwalk what it is today

-A massive blue lion, a tiger and a red wing (or maybe Al the Octopus, the unofficial mascot)

-Detroit City Football Club fans, dressed head to toe in Detroit City FC gear, as they do for all games

-On the sidewalks there will be graffiti artists and muralists painting on the spot

-All event staff will be sporting fake fur coats as a nod to the city’s past as the fur trade hub

-Floats designed and presented by each neighborhood

-The Detroit Marching Band will play proudly throughout the parade

-Local high school sports teams (perhaps Cass Tech and Renaissance marching in tandem)

…O and of course a massive cartoon turkey and Santa bringing up the rear.

Some of my ideas are more superficial than others and I would bet that each and every Detroiter would add some extremely valuable advice as to who and what should make the cut. So take a look and post some of your own ideas of what the Detroit Parade might include. Who do you see as the most important figures impacting Detroit right now? What kinds of floats might make this incredible Detroit tradition even more meaningful? Remember: Wild ideas are encouraged.