Santa Arrives in Detroit!
Some early rain and chilly weather didn't stop crowds from lining the streets for Detroit's annual Thanksgiving Day parade.
Known as ``America's Thanksgiving Parade,'' it's one of the oldest and most celebrated such events in the country -- and second in size only to the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade in New York City. Now in its 84th year, the official theme for this year's Detroit's parade is ``Celebrate the Spirit.''
Detroiter Tonya Brock braved the harsh conditions and tells WWJ its a holiday tradition for her. Amy Sweeney of Grand Rapids says she made the pilgrimage to see the 84th annual for the first time ever.
One of the biggest draws of the parade was the big balloons. Balloon Coordinator Larry DeBaker tells WWJ they use 40-thousand cubic feet of helium to keep them in the air. DeBaker says he gets the biggest kick out of watching the crowd react as the balloons go floating by.
Ahead of Thursday morning's parade was the 28th Annual Fifth-Third Turkey Trot, which broke a record this year. Speaking live on WWJ, Jack Riley, with Fifth-Third Bank, says they had almost 17-thousand runners this year, up from last year's nearly 15-thousand. Riley says the running community came together -- and that's what Thanksgiving Day is all about.
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