by Alex Lloyd Gross
Crowds were not as thick as they were in the past. This Thanksgiving has had the worst weather in recent history, with heavy rain and soggy conditions. Not ideal weather for a parade. That did not stop thousands from showing up in center city, as the annual Thanksgiving Day kicked off.
Alex Lloyd Gross Photo-Delaware Valley News.com Lisa Ann Walters sports a pirate hat and an umbrella during the parade.
It was early in the morning as Sam Champion and the Good Morning America crew was going live at 20th and JFK. They were talking with float drivers, marching bands and of course Philadelphia Eagles Cheerleaders. All while trying to stay dry. Finding parade participants was easy, finding parade goers in that area, took some work.
The entire parade takes about an hour to go from start to finish. Marching bands from across the county show up to be seen on television.
Riding on the floats were people like Sister Sledge, CECE Penniston and Lisa Ann Walter. People were happy to see them in the parade, waving to them, before and after, people ran up for a quick selfie.
Alex Lloyd Gross Photo-Delaware Valley News.com Sam Champion talks with Eagles Cheerleaders. during a GMA segment.
Unfortunately, a lot of the advertised talent was remote. A taped greeting for television. Big deal. People want to see and hear them live in person. This parade has been going through Philadelphia for over 100 years. It used to be sponsored by Gimbels, which was a large department store chain. It is now sponsored by Dunkin Donuts.