DETROIT – Stars will shine bright on Woodward Avenue this year in Detroit!
The Parade Company announced Monday an official celebrity line-up to appear in the 93rd America’s Thanksgiving Parade® presented by Art Van. We will be celebrating greats in our city such as 2019 Rocket Mortgage Classic Champion Nate Lashley, 1984 Detroit Tigers World Series Champions Lance Parrish and Dave Rozema, Disney star Issac Ryan Brown and so many more will accompany parade Grand Marshals the Detroit Youth Choir led by director Anthony White and former Detroit Mayor Dennis W. Archer for this iconic parade.
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“We have an exceptional line-up of all-star athletes, entertainers and community leaders as well as 25 amazing floats with seven new ones for this year’s America’s Thanksgiving Parade presented by Art Van,” said Tony Michaels, President & CEO, The Parade Company. “We are thrilled to have these remarkable individuals joining us on Woodward Avenue and across much of America on Thanksgiving morning.”
7 new floats
- Art Van Furniture – “Christmas Under the Sea”
- Huntington Bank – “Looking Out for You”
- DTE Energy Foundation – “Serving with Energy”
- Ford Motor Company – “Creating Tomorrow Together”
- Skillman Foundation – To be unveiled
- Rocket Mortgage by Quicken Loans – To be unveiled
- Rocket Mortgage Classic PGA Tour Stop held at Detroit Golf Club
Stars to shine in parade
2019 Grand Marshals
Detroit Youth Choir – led by director Anthony White, The Detroit Youth Choir captured hearts across the country and world with their golden-buzzer performances on NBC’s America’s Got Talent.
Dennis W. Archer – served as Detroit’s Mayor from 1994 to 2001 and on the Michigan Supreme Court from 1986-1990.
Parade Celebrities
Nate Lashley – 2019 Rocket Mortgage Classic Champion. Lashley will be riding on the Rocket Mortgage Classic float in America’s Thanksgiving Parade® presented by Art Van on Thanksgiving morning.
Issac Ryan Brown – TV actor starring on Disney series Raven’s Home. A Detroit native, Brown got his big break at the age of six when he dazzled audiences on “America’s Got Talent.” Since then, Brown has consistently been working in film, television, commercials and voiceovers. He has recurred on shows including Blackish, How to Get Away with Murder, Bubble Guppies and Puppy Dog Pals.
Jim Brandstatter – Radio play-by-play announcer for the University of Michigan Wolverines football team. Brandstatter also served as the NFL’s Detroit Lions color analyst on their statewide radio network. He was elected to the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame in 2013. He has twice been named sportscaster of the year in Michigan by the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association, among other awards.
Robbie Timmons – Award-winning former TV news anchor and reporter with Detroit’s WJBK TV-2 and WXYZ. Timmons has six Emmy’s for her work in writing, producing, reporting and anchoring. Timmons began her career in Lansing as the first female in the country to anchor the 6 PM and 11 PM newscasts. With over 30 years of anchoring the evening news in Detroit, Timmons retired in 2010 and is now dedicated to her newest endeavor, CANTER, a Thoroughbred Horse Rescue.
Tony "Superbad" Harrison – A graduate of Mumford High School and a professional boxer born and raised in Detroit. Harrison is determined to put our city back on the boxing map. One of the last protégés of late Hall of Fame trainer Emanuel Steward, Harrison is striving to reach the top of the 154-pound division. Harrison has a 28-2 record, featuring 21 knockouts, since his professional debut in 2011.
Lance Parrish – Former professional baseball catcher and member of the Tigers 1984 World Series Championship Team. During his playing career, he was an eight-time All-Star and won six Silver Slugger Awards and three Gold Gloves. Parrish played 19 seasons in the Majors, with 10 of those in a Detroit Tigers uniform.
Dave Rozema – Former professional baseball pitcher and member of the Tigers 1984 World Series Championship Team. A native of Grand Rapids, Rozema spent 10 years in the big leagues, including eight with the Detroit Tigers. Rozema won 15 games in his rookie season of 1977 and was named the top rookie pitcher in the American League by The Sporting News. Rozema remains active with the Tigers organization, participating in numerous charity events throughout the year.
Deeran Anderson – United States Navy veteran turned business & personal growth influencer, speaker, and author. He is most well-known for being on E! Network’s Revenge Body and from his time as a disc jockey in the San Diego area on 89.1FM.
Mallory Rivard – Miss Michigan America 2019. Rivard is from Bay City and earned dual degrees in early childhood and elementary education from Saginaw Valley State University.
Aneesa Sheikh – Recently crowned Miss Michigan Teen USA 2020 in September 2019, Sheikh is a Bloomfield Hills native.
Chanel Johnson – A Southfield, MI native, Johnson was crowned Miss Michigan USA in September 2019. She is preparing for the national stage in April 2020.
Detroit’s Favorite Sports Mascots – Detroit’s favorite mascots including Hooper, Roary and PAWS will be riding on WOMC 104.3’s float, “Detroit Rocks.”
Yankee Air Museum Rosie the Riveter Tribute Corps – Women including two original riveters – Virginia Basler and Marian (Pat) Duncan – representing Rosie the Riveter, the World War II American poster icon.
Santa Claus – Santa’s grand arrival in his hand-crafted sleigh is at the end of America’s Thanksgiving Parade® presented by Art Van.
The Parade Company will debut the new Tom Izzo “Big Head” as a salute to Head Coach of the Michigan State University Spartans men’s basketball team. Izzo was enshrined in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in September 2016. Now in his 24th year, Izzo has compiled an impressive list of accomplishments, including the 2000 NCAA National Championship, eight regular-season Big Ten Championships, five Big Ten Tournament titles, seven Final Four appearances, eight National Coach of the Year awards and a Big Ten-record 21 straight NCAA Tournament appearances.
Three new balloons will make their debut Thanksgiving morning including:
- Kung Fu Panda
- Regal Eagle
- Holiday Elmo
Hob Nobble Gobble® presented by Ford Motor Company
As one of the largest fundraisers of the year for The Parade Company, guests at Ford Field will enjoy special performances by the beloved Detroit Youth Choir presented by Ford Motor Company and Grammy-Award winning artist Nelly presented by 98.7 The Breeze. This event is sold out.
“Detroit Shining Bright” has been announced as the theme of the 93rd America’s Thanksgiving Parade® presented by Art Van. The theme celebrates Detroit in the national spotlight and what is possible in our great city.
Voted as America’s Number One Holiday Parade by the 2018 USA TODAY 10Best Readers’ Choice Awards and recognized as one of the best Thanksgiving parades in the country by U.S. News & World Report Travel, America’s Thanksgiving Parade® presented by Art Van takes place on Thursday, November 28. WDIV-Local 4’s live coverage begins at 6 a.m. with pre-parade coverage, followed by a parade pre-show beginning at 9 a.m. America’s Thanksgiving Parade® presented by Art Van will air live on WDIV-Local 4 from 10 a.m. – noon, including a one-hour syndicated national broadcast from 10 a.m. -11 a.m. reaching more than 185 television markets across the country.
News/Talk 760 WJR’s Paul W. Smith will host a pre-parade broadcast from 6 a.m. – 9:30 a.m. Entercom’s 104.3 WOMC’s Stephen Clark and JoAnne Purtan (Mornings WOMC) will host live parade coverage from 10 a.m.- noon overlooking the parade route. For more information, visit theparade.org.
About The Parade Company
Founded in 1984, The Parade Company is a not-for-profit organization governed by the Michigan Thanksgiving Parade Foundation whose board of directors is comprised of key civic and corporate leaders in the greater Detroit region. The Parade Company is celebrating more than 90 years of Parade tradition in Detroit and is committed to funding, creating and executing the best family events in Michigan. The Parade Company staff, board of directors and thousands of parade volunteers work year-round to bring a wide variety of magnificent events to the City of Detroit and the region including the Ford Fireworks, Strategic Staffing Solutions Turkey Trot, and America’s Thanksgiving Parade® presented by Art Van. Follow The Parade Company on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.