It may surprise some readers of Florida Lore that although I do mention Disney several times in the book, I do not include any stories about either the Disney Company or the world-famous Walt Disney World theme park in Orlando. It’s not that I didn’t look for them. Although on one hand, I think the corporation is already too prominent by half in association with folklore, I knew people would be interested. But I just couldn’t find a good enough story that had been retold by several sources, which is part of the definition of folklore.
The following personal anecdote, however, is not only fun, but also has a whiff of urban legend, which definitely makes it worth a look. So although it’s not in the book, here, for Disney fans everywhere, is my retelling of a delightful little story shared by former Disney Company employee Jim Korkis on mouseplanet.com.
It seems that a certain Disney employee named Ron Heminger started out his “mouse-career” in 1955 as a dancer in Disneyland in Anaheim, California, at the Indian village in Frontierland. After several promotions, which led to jobs in management, he ended up working at Epcot in Florida. One fine day, Heminger and his boss were making their way through the Magic Kingdom, talking about the good old days when the park, which opened in 1971, was being created.
“One of the things I really regret is that we never did the time capsule,” Heminger told his supervisor. “We prepared the spot but just ran out of time.”
The boss had been hired some years later than Heminger, after the park was already open. But he had heard the stories about the time capsule, and he assured him that it was just an urban legend—that such a thing was in fact never actually planned. Heminger was so certain that such a spot had been set aside at Cinderella Castle, however, that he told his supervisor to meet him there a few hours later, after the park had closed for the night.
When Heminger met his still-scoffing boss at the Castle some time later, he handed him a flashlight. As he explained the crazy pace of work during the last few days of construction on the park, he carefully lifted a descriptive plaque, revealing a gaping hole in the ground.
It was enough of a shock for the supervisor to see the hole. But you can imagine his reaction when he shined the beam of the flashlight over it, peered inside, and saw what could only be taken for the skeleton of a long-forgotten worker!
When the poor man recovered somewhat from his horror, his laughing employee explained what he had actually uncovered. Earlier that evening, Heminger and a fellow employee had pilfered a skeleton from the Pirates of the Caribbean attraction. They carried it over to the Cinderella Castle, where they dressed it in an official Disney worker hard hat and vest. Then they pulled off the same descriptive plaque, and in the hole—which had obviously been dug out for something—they dropped the skeleton. Finally they fitted the plaque back in place and considered their leg-pulling preparations complete.
These six sizzling school scandals, from ritzy boarding schools to county colleges, will make you think twice about private and public schools. Unfortunately, crimes have occurred in the hallowed halls of sacred learning institutions across the country.
1.Russian Secret Police in Connecticut
Secret societies and campus overlords seem too dramatic for reality in an elite boarding school. In 2009, however, one student sued the all-girls Miss Porter’s School in Connecticut, claiming a secret society had terrorized her.
Student Tatum T. Bass alleged that her classmates constantly harassed her until she suffered a nervous breakdown from their hazing. She cited a secret society of girls that called themselves the “Oprichniki,” after the 16th-century Russian secret police known for their ruthlessness, for her suffering. The systematic abuse Bass suffered remains unclear, but it might suggest that an all-girls education might not be as ideal as parents might think.
2. Murder at Ohio State
In 1929, James Howard Snook, a professor and former Olympic gold medalist, participated in a long-term, illicit affair with one of his students. The affair ended in a brutal murder.
Snook’s involvement in the scandal shocked the community because of his status as a professional athlete and professional status. Newspapers refused to print the sordid details of the affair because it was so scandalous. Snook claimed he murdered his lover because she threatened to attack his wife and family. Whatever the truth, the jury did not show Snook any mercy. They sentenced him to death after deliberating for less than a half hour. He died in the electric chair in 1930.
3. Ivy League Failure
Many people pin their hopes on attaining an Ivy League education. For some people, this becomes an obsession. In 2011, one mother, who had invested $19,000 in her four-year old’s education, decided her preschool wasn’t doing enough and decided to sue them.
In fact, she believed that despite the high cost, the York Avenue Preschool could ruin her daughter’s chances of attending an Ivy League school. The issue at hand hinged on a promise from the school that her daughter would learn one alphabet letter a week. Instead, the unassuming four-year-old was spending too much time on shapes. In this instance, the school scandal didn’t result in any true harm, outside of dashing an unreasonable parent’s expectations.
4. An Alleged Satanic Campus Murder in California
In 1974, a brutal murder of a newlywed freshman shocked Stanford University when Arlis Perry went to the Memorial Chapel to pray after a fight with her husband. Someone entered the chapel, stabbed her with an icepick, and sexually assaulted her. This perpetrator also desecrated the chapel.
Some students began a rumor that a Satanic cult called the Process Church of the Final Judgment murdered Perry. They pointed to the desecration of the chapel as evidence. Infamous serial killer David Berkowitz, the Son of Sam killer, allegedly wrote letters from prison that implied the cult was indeed responsible for the murder. To this day, Perry’s murder remains unsolved.
5. Bennington Triangle
Five people went missing near Bennington College in Vermont, between 1945 and 1950. Although they conducted extensive police searches, the bodies vanished, and officials never found them.
In 1946, an 18-year-old student named Paula Jean Welden disappeared. Apparently, Paula decided to go on a hike, despite the heavy snowfall and the fact she was not dressed for the weather. Authorities eventually declared Paula missing and never found her body.
Welden, along with five other people, went missing during those decades, and their bodies were never recovered. Today the “Bennington Triangle,” near Glastenbury Mountain, attracts paranormal researchers from around the world.
6. Choate Rosemary Hall Drug Ring
Choate Rosemary Hall, an idyllic New England boarding school with red brick buildings and sprawling green lawns, has had its share of scandals over time. In one case, a few entrepreneurial students decided to take advantage of the cocaine frenzy in the 1980s.
Student Matthew Robert Holmes attempted to smuggle 340 grams of cocaine into the country after flying to Venezuela on his spring break. Holmes and his conspirators were shocked when they were caught by U.S. Customs.
Holmes got off easily with 5,000 community service hours, five years in prison, and five years of probation. More than 15 other students also pled guilty to aiding and abetting the drug ring.
7. Big Brother is Watching You
In 2010, the principal called high school sophomore, Blake Robbins, into his office at Harriton High School in Pennsylvania. The administration accused him of inappropriate behavior — in his bedroom.
The school administrators had activated spy software on his school-issued laptop, monitoring his video and Gchat sessions as well as watching him, claiming he took drugs. Blake’s parents filed a class action lawsuit against the school district, which was settled out of court for $610K.
Unfortunately, school campuses are not immune to the world of true crime in America. From elite boarding schools to college campuses, no one is safe from the dark impulse of the criminal mind.
Secret societies remain inconspicuous in the ledgers of global history. In America, a few secret organizations played significant roles in shaping the country’s evolution. These societies, comprised of national visionaries and public figures, harnessed a power that, for years, remained behind closed doors.
As the truth of these organizations slowly leaked out, it became clear they provided a backdrop to some of the most important movements in American history.
The Jekyll Island Club
Background and origins
For 50 years, the Jekyll Island Club remained the most exclusive recreational society in America. The club boasted a membership of notable titans of industry, including J.P. Morgan, William Vanderbilt, and Cyrus McCormick, the father of modern agriculture.
When plantation owner Newton Finney first organized the purchase of Jekyll Island, a patch of land just off the Georgia coast, he intended to attract a group of businessmen who could use the island as a resort. Finney intended recreational hunting to be the foremost attraction, even hiring a gamekeeper to stock the island with pheasants, turkeys, and deer.
Perhaps the most interesting component in the rich history of Jekyll Island Club remains its role in the formation of the Federal Reserve. As the American banking system continued to display a large degree of volatility, particularly following the Panic of 1907, a group of wealthy bankers stole away to the island — under the guise of pseudonyms — to restructure the system.
Senator Nelson Aldrich, chairman of the National Monetary Commission and fresh off his two-year study of European banking operations, assembled this group of the banking elite. Together, they devised the first draft of legislation to create the U.S. Federal Reserve on Jekyll Island in 1910.
Throughout their stay on the island, they operated in total secrecy. They departed New York in a private railcar, rode hundreds of miles south in the dead of night, and utilized code names during their entire stay on the island. Even the servants on the island remained unaware of the dignitaries to whom they attended.
In the end, the Jekyll Island Club hosted one of the largest banking reorganizations ever — and solidified its place in the legacy of backroom talks throughout American history.
Skull and Bones
Origins and Roles of Undergraduate Societies
In 1832, a schism confronted the debating societies of Yale, prompting William Huntington Russell and Alphonso Taft to form the first senior undergraduate secret society called Skull and Bones. Further examination into the events preceding the club’s formation revealed Russell’s rejection into the prestigious academic society, Phi Beta Kappa.
Skull and Bones gave rise to many undergraduate secret societies that followed in its footsteps. Often attaining membership in these societies represented the central goal for those attending university. The connections made in these circles could solidify a student’s lifetime prospects in American business.
The Legacy of Skull and Bones
To this day, Skull and Bones remains rooted in conspiracy. The secret society garnered blame for events as diverse as the creation of the nuclear bomb and the Kennedy assassination — although these credits remain largely unsubstantiated.
According to an article in Time Magazine, “Bonesmen have, at one time, controlled the fortunes of the Carnegie, Rockefeller and Ford families, as well as posts in the Central Intelligence Agency, the American Psychological Association…and some of the most important firms in the world.” The number of Skull and Bones alumni in prominent positions of authority hints at the inner workings of such an organization, revealing the power these secret societies can wield.
Bohemian Club
The Culture of Journalism Finds a New Home
In the late 1850s, Bohemianism continued to take root in large American cities, cultivating a flourishing culture of journalists. After the American Civil War galvanized many citizens into joining the military, the culture of the fourth estate became temporarily disbanded.
In 1872, journalists hoping to share a mutual interest in arts and culture founded the Bohemian Club in the Bay Area. Journalists served as primary members in this exclusive society, though over time, it opened its doors to artists and musicians who joined as honorary members.
While membership at times waned over the years, this club featured such honorary members as Richard Nixon, and William Randolph Hearst, the media mogul whose life became the basis for the film, Citizen Kane.
Today, it operates two locations in California, with the primary clubhouse located in the Union Square district of San Francisco. Like many secret societies, this club united people of common interests, and the Bohemian Club sought to unite men with an interest in the arts.
Final thoughts
Ultimately, secret societies provided a forum for like-minded individuals to discuss contemporary issues — and in some instances, plan and execute radical reformations.
Because the general public may never know the full influence of secret societies in America, we’ll always thrill at catching a glimpse behind the curtain of silence.
The oldest congregations in America, not surprisingly, dot the Atlantic Seaboard and date back as far as the 17th century, the time the first European settlers arrived.
These six active congregations form a cross-section of the religious denominations found across the country. They are also included on the National Register of Historic Places. These churches offer a glimpse into our national cultural heritage in addition to the general historical significance of religion over time.
1. St. John’s Episcopal Church in Hampton, Virginia
Founded in 1610, this Episcopal church based in Hampton, Virginia has a long and rich history. Incredibly, the church building standing today dates back to 1728.
According to historians, St. John’s Episcopal Church is the oldest practicing, English-speaking parish in America. It also has the oldest communion silver still in use today. Made in London, the chalice, and patens used by the parishioner’s, date back to 1618.
2. Johns Island Presbyterian Church located on Johns Island, Charleston County, South Carolina
Founded by British dissenters and French Huguenots, the Johns Island Presbyterian Church dates to 1719. Interestingly, the original bricks used in the church’s foundation came from England as ships ballast. The parishioners extended the tiny first church, originally only 38ft long by 35ft wide, in the early 19th century to allow slaves to attend services with their masters. The church also supported the first Presbyterian mission to Africa in 1833.
An iconic church in the Lowcountry, it continues to operate under the founding principles of religious freedom and tolerance. For centuries, it has occupied an important place in the Charleston community.
3. St. Philips Church of Charleston, South Carolina
Built in 1670 shortly after the formation of the Carolina colony, it took 53 years before the Church held its first Easter Sunday service after a series of hurricanes kept delaying the construction efforts. St. Phillips, an Evangelical parish, belongs to the worldwide Anglican Communion fellowship.
For centuries, the church has fulfilled the religious needs of people from all over the Carolina region. The focal points of the church support community issues like elections, education, social services, and disaster relief. The gorgeous burial grounds serve as the final resting place for political leaders, community organizers, and even a few pirates, which is a testimony to the diversity of the church’s heritage and influence on the Charleston community.
Explore the rich history of the St. Philip’s Church, one of the first churches in the South Carolina colony. You’ll gain deep insights into the early religious conflicts of the region and learn more about the patrons who have been drawn to this house of worship for centuries.
4. Touro Synagogue in Newport, Rhode Island
Built by Sephardic Jews in the 1700s, this famous synagogue in Newport Rhode Island has become the subject of a fierce ownership debate among the Jewish people. A century after its construction, the Sephardic community declined in population, and newly arrived Eastern European Jews took up residence. Today, heirs of the Sephardic community have sued the current parishioners to return the temple to Sephardic control. The legal battle reflects 400 years of American Jewish history. Though the case is ongoing, recent court judgments indicate that the plaintiffs might win.
The building has a rich historical legacy in the form of official papers, letters, and court documents. George Washington sent the congregation a letter in 1790, guaranteeing that the United States “gives to bigotry no sanction, to persecution no assistance.”
5. Old Trinity Church, Church Creek, Maryland
Our fifth entry represents one of the oldest physical church buildings in America still in operation today. Constructed around 1675, the small but architecturally significant building houses a congregation of Episcopal worshippers, with a special service that welcomes visitors to join on Sundays.
Since Church Creek town records don’t date back past the 18th century, no one is certain on the exact year it was founded. However, the church, restored around 1950, has records of continuous religious activity dating back over three hundred years, and experts believe the original building dates to around 1675.
6. The Cleveland Heights Congregations in Cleveland Heights, Ohio
This last entry deviates slightly from the other churches on our list. It covers an association of churches in Cleveland Heights, Ohio, where dozens of religious denominations have erected houses of worship since the 19th century.
Although certainly not the oldest congregations in America, the long tradition of these diverse centers of worship have deep historical significance in Ohio.
The congregations represent many different interpretations of faith, ranging from Presbyterian, Evangelical, Roman Catholic, Judaism, and an array of non-denominational and community churches.
Real estate developers and established churches encouraged many of these congregations to build houses of worship in this area. The congregations have significantly impacted the growth of Cleveland Heights over the past 150 years, making a compelling story of the influence of faith and worship on a community.
Across America, faith-based institutions provide religious guidance, fellowship, and community building. From Catholic cathedrals to evangelical churches, our country offers many splendid houses of worship that continue to make an impact on communities today.
In 1934, a colossal claim reached the American news media: There had been a plot to overthrow President Franklin D. Roosevelt, in favor of a fascist government. Supposedly in the works since 1933, the claims of the conspiracy came from a very conspicuous and reliable source: Major General Smedley Butler, one of the most decorated war heroes of his time.
Even more unbelievable were his claims of who was involved in the plot – respected names like Robert Sterling Clark, Grayson M.P. Murphy, and Prescott Bush. While news media at the time mocked Butler’s story, recently discovered archives have revealed the truth behind Major General Butler’s claims.
Who was Smedley Butler?
Born in 1881, Major General Smedley Butler was the eldest son of a Quaker family from West Chester, Pennsylvania. Butler came from a line of civil-serviceman: his father, Thomas Butler, was a representative for the state of Pennsylvania in Congress, and his maternal grandfather, Smedley Darlington, was also a Republican congressman.
Butler served in several major world conflicts, including the Spanish-American War, the Philippine-American War, the Boxer Rebellion, and World War I. During his time in service, Butler became known for his bravery and relentless leadership in battle, and he was rewarded with several distinctions, including multiple Medals of Honor, an Army Distinguished Service Medal, the Marine Corps Brevet Medal, and a Navy Distinguished Service Medal.
[Major General Smedley Butler. Image reprinted from Philadelphia’s Organized Crime of the 1920 and 1930s by Anne Margaret Anderson with John J. Binder courtesy of the Library of Congress (pg. 11, Arcadia Publishing, 2014).]
In total, Butler served for 34 years in the Marine Corps, and earned 16 medals for his time in service. He is currently the most decorated Marine veteran of all time. He died in 1940 at the age of 58.
The Business Plot
After leaving the service, Butler held many roles, but became best-known for his activism. Butler’s various accolades made him a household name following World War I, and he was well-known among veteran circles as a champion of veterans’ rights. This included supporting the so-called Bonus Army, a large group of veterans and veteran supporters who lobbied Congress for payments of bonds issued to veterans prior to the war.
This positive public image, and demonstrated ability to rally people under his leadership, were perhaps the reason why Butler was approached by Gerald C. MacGuire and Bob Doyle in 1933. MacGuire, a bond salesman, and Doyle were members of the American Legion, an organization meant to support veteran rights and opportunities.
During their first meeting with Butler, MacGuire and Doyle asked the Major General to speak at a Legion convention in Chicago, claiming they wanted to point out the various problems with the Legion’s leadership. Butler was at first open to this idea, knowing that the Legion had several administrative issues that ultimately compromised veteran benefits.
However, over subsequent meetings with the two men, Butler quickly began to suspect that something was amiss – during their second meeting, MacGuire showed Butler bank statements amounting to over $100,000 USD (valued at nearly $2 million today), which he hoped Butler would use to bring veteran supporters to the convention. The Major General was stunned: there was very little chance that a group of veterans had been able to gather such a vast amount of funds. Even worse was the speech that MacGuire asked Butler to deliver – a speech which had little to do with veteran affairs, and instead was more critical of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s recent move away from the gold standard.
The abandonment of the gold standard was a major sticking point for many high-ranking officials and bankers in the country during 1933. Although there were several recognized issues with money backed by gold (such as dependency on gold production, and short-term price instabilities), many bankers were fearful that their gold-backed loans would not be paid back in full by the President’s new policies.
The departure from the gold standard just added to other concerns about FDR’s policies, particularly his plans to provide subsidizations and jobs for the poor, which businessmen and conservative politicians alike took as an indication of Roosevelt’s socialist leanings, or (even worse) a communist. Butler could sense this disgruntlement when he asked to meet with MacGuire’s superior, and found himself speaking with Robert Sterling Clark, an heir to the Singer Sewing fortune. Clark was much more upfront than MacGuire, telling Butler that his real interest was in preserving the gold standard, even claiming that he “had $30 million, and was willing to spend half of the $30 million to save the other half.”
Butler, true to his patriotic form, flatly refused the offer to deliver the speech at the convention in Chicago. After parting ways with MacGuire and Clark, he heard little from the men until MacGuire began travelling through Europe on a trip funded by Clark. MacGuire began sending postcards to Butler from various European locations, including Italy, Germany, and France.
Upon returning to the States, MacGuire called another meeting with Butler, where he was much more transparent about his plans: Admitting that the money he had gathered came mostly from captains of industry, MacGuire told Butler that he had travelled Europe to see how veterans operated within foreign governments. After discounting the governments of Germany and Italy, he described a facet of French government which was run quite well by veterans.
These various observations led MacGuire to believe that the only way to save the country from FDR’s “ill-fated” policies was to create a military state run by former servicemen, with Roosevelt serving as a figurehead, rather than a true leader. Butler asked what MacGuire wanted from him, and was told he would be the ideal leader of these veterans, promising him an army of 500,000 men and financial backing from an assortment of rich businessmen, so long as he would be willing to lead a peaceful march on the White House to displace Roosevelt.
The McCormack-Dickstein Committee Investigation
Astonished by MacGuire’s plans, Butler knew he would need someone to corroborate his story if he was going to stop the intended coup. Having previously worked as the police captain of Philadelphia, Butler reached out to Philadelphia Record writer Paul Comly French, who agreed to meet with MacGuire as well. During this meeting, MacGuire told French that he believed a fascist state was the only answer for America, and that Smedley was the “ideal leader” because he “could organize one million men overnight.”
Armed with French’s mutual testimony, Butler appeared before the McCormack-Dickstein congressional committee, also known as the Special Committee on Un-American Activities, to reveal what he knew about the plot to seize the presidency in November 1934. The committee at first discounted a large part of Butler’s testimony (even writing in their initial report that they saw no reason to subpoena men like John W. Davis, a former presidential hopeful, or Thomas W. Lamont, a partner with J.P. Morgan & Company).
However, with the testimony of French, and the erratic testimony of MacGuire, the committee began to further investigate the plot. The final reports of the committee sang a different tune, finding that all of Butler’s claims could be corroborated as factual. However, they also stressed that the plot was far from being enacted, and it was not clear if the plans would have ever truly come to fruition.
Quickly becoming known as the “White House Coup” and “Wall Street Putsch,” many major news sources derided Butler’s claims, as the committee’s final report was not made available publicly. Those implicated, ranging from the DuPont family to Prescott Bush, the grandfather of future President George W. Bush, laughed off Butler’s claims. Evidence of the validity of Butler’s testimony was not released until the 21st century, when the committee’s papers were published in the Public Domain. No one was ever prosecuted in connection to the plot.
Butler, for his part, went on to continue advocating for veterans. He also became a staunch opponent of capitalism, which he felt fed war efforts. His views were published in his well-known short book War is a Racket, which was published in 1935. There’s no telling how far the plot to overthrow the President may have gone without Butler’s intervention, but one thing is certain: its failure was the work of one patriotic Major General, and his life-long love of democracy.
Detroit’s Thanksgiving parade is as much a part of the city’s history as Motown and the automotive industry. Next to the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, America’s Thanksgiving Parade is arguably the country’s most famous, well-attended, and historical.
It began in 1924 and draws hundreds of spectators every fourth Thursday in November. It’s the parade’s world-famous vintage, papier-mâché heads and specialty performers that keep attendees interested and engaged along Woodward Avenue in downtown Detroit each year.
Imaginative Beginnings
The story of how Detroit became a parade destination is as colorful and exciting as the spectacle itself. Detroit’s parade shares the title for the second-oldest Thanksgiving parade in the United States, along with the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.
It all began in 1924 when the display director of the J.L. Hudson Company department store, Charles Wendel, learned of the Eaton’s Santa Claus Parade in Toronto and thought a similar parade would make a great addition to Detroit, which at the time was at the forefront of the auto industry boom.
Interestingly, it was the American department store that catapulted the Thanksgiving parade tradition into cities throughout the country. Department stores like Macy’s drew in patrons through exciting holiday window displays. Philadelphia’s Gimbels started the tradition in 1920, with Macy’s and Detroit’s Hudson’s following suit just four years later.
Wendel had a reputation for creating unique, European-inspired department store window displays. After his initial idea for the parade gained support in the community, he collaborated with some Italian puppeteers to create papier-mâché heads, dubbed Big Heads.
The director got the idea for the oversized, wearable heads after seeing Italians wear them during Carnival in Italy. These iconic antiques have been well-preserved over the years and are still worn during the parade today.
With the exception of 1943 and 1944, there has been an America’s Thanksgiving Parade every year since 1924. During these years, the parade was suspended due to material shortages caused by World War II.
Hudson’s officially closed its flagship store on Woodward Avenue in 1998 and the rest of its stores by 2001. Luckily, Hudson’s turned operations over to the Detroit Renaissance Foundation — which later became the Michigan Thanksgiving Parade Foundation — much earlier, in 1979.
A book float in Detroit’s 1952 Thanksgiving Parade. Many floats were inspired by children’s stories. Reprinted from Detroit’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.
The Parade Today
In 1990, the organization founded The Parade Company as a division to oversee operations and marketing of the parade. This non-profit still runs the annual parade today, as well as a summer fireworks show and two other Thanksgiving-themed events.
Curious parade-lovers can actually get up-close and personal with America’s Thanksgiving Parade on a parade studio tour, which includes the world’s largest collection of papier-mâché heads that resemble local icons and famous characters.
These original Big Heads are still a major part of the Thanksgiving parade today. In fact, some parade-goers and participants will note that some original Italian newsprint is still visible on the papier-mâché masks.
Now, a group of Detroit’s young professionals dons the masks — which include animals, flowers, and depictions of famous Detroiters like Rosa Parks, Bob Seger, and Diana Ross — as part of the Big Heads Corps. The heads that make their way down Woodward Avenue every Thanksgiving Day are still made in Viareggio, Italy.
If you’re not a fan of clowns, we’d recommend sitting this parade out! Another regular attraction at America’s Thanksgiving Parade is the Distinguished Clown Corps, which includes a group of Detroit community leaders dressed as clowns. Parade-goers also enjoy seeing lively marching bands and helium-filled parade balloons traversing the route.
How to Watch the Parade
The annual Detroit Thanksgiving parade takes place at 10 a.m. on Thanksgiving Day. The parade route begins at Kirby and Woodward Ave. and culminates at Congress and Woodward Avenue. Visitors are welcome to watch the parade in real-time along the street. The introduction of Santa Claus, who appears to signify the start of the Christmas season, marks the end of the parade.
For more information on America’s Thanksgiving Parade, be sure to pick up a copy of Detroit’s Thanksgiving Day Parade to learn more about this iconic holiday tradition.
