Stamford Thanksgiving Parade Pleases Crowds
On Nov. 18, Stamford celebrated its annual “UBS Parade Spectacular” downtown with eighteen giant balloons of lovable cartoon characters like Clifford the Big Red Dog, sponsored by The Advocate, and the Cookie Monster, which was sponsored by the Steven and Alexandra Cohen Children’s Specialty Center at Stamford Hospital.
(Popeye floats through the streets of Stamford. Photo taken by Luz Vargas, Edited for color, exposure, and orientation by Travis Greene.)
As the children waited for the balloons to appear, they were entertained with clowns, costumed characters, dancers, and marching bands from schools like Stamford and Westhill high school. Special guests included Grand Marshals (Stamford’s Hurricane Sandy heroes), and Alan Kalter from “the Late Show with David Letterman”. Also, a few Christmas floats jollied the crowd as Santa greeted everyone but the success of the parade was definitely the balloons.
One of the challenges the balloon holders faced was spinning their balloons in a circle as the crowd shouted, “Spin.” Every time a balloon would spin the children would shout out of joy, even their parents.
(Children atop a ‘Candyland’-themed parade float. Photo taken by Luz Vargas, Edited for color, exposure, and orientation by Travis Greene.)
Last year, the parade drew over 100,000 people and has been noticed on the top 100 Events across the country for 2010. Claudia Telesco, a Stamford resident, stated, “This parade is a wonderful opportunity for families and friends to come together for the holidays, for most of us this parade is a tradition.”
Even though it was freezing outside, this year people took out their winter coats and bought their hot chocolate nearby to enjoy one of Stamford’s popular events.
For more information on Stamford events, go here.
Article by Luz Vargas
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