When Philadelphia’s first Thanksgiving parade was staged in 1920, the Benjamin Franklin Parkway had just been completed and construction on the Philadelphia Museum of Art has just begun.
It has since grown into one of the city’s most treasured traditions.
“It's a family tradition. The streets are filled with happy people,” said 6abc meteorologist and parade co-host Cecily Tynan. “It’s just a perfect way to start your holiday season.”
“When the parade is over, I feel like we're all a little bit closer, and then certainly ready for the holidays,” said 6abc anchor and parade co-host Rick Williams.
“It’s just a perfect way to start your holiday season.”
What is now the 6abc/Dunkin’ Thanksgiving Day Parade began as a modest affair with just several floats and cars parading six blocks from Philadelphia City Hall to the Gimbels department store.
Today there are 28 floats and balloons, 11 marching bands, 66 youth tap, dancing and choir groups, and more than 20 celebrities and special guests.
"The first parade started with 15 cars
and 50 store employees."
The parade actually began as a marketing ploy by Gimbels to promote the start of the holiday shopping season.
The procession, the nation’s first Thanksgiving parade, guided Santa Claus to the store’s Toyland display.
“The first parade was started with 15 cars, and 50 store employees,” said Todd Marcocci, a co-producer of the 6abc/Dunkin Thanksgiving Day Parade.
“It was specifically described that those 15 cars were lavishly decorated in crepe paper.”
Within five years the parade was already starting to become a Philadelphia staple. Live reindeer would pull Santa’s sleigh down the Parkway.
“1925 is really when the parade took off, when people really started to recognize that there was a parade going on,” Marcocci said.
The parade grew over the decades, and before long hundreds of thousands of people were lining the route to watch dozens of marching bands, balloons, floats - and yes, even Santa Claus.
“The route was down the parkway around City Hall, down Market Street to the original Gimbels building. And then Santa would get off and go up the ladder and into the building,” said Robert DiBenedetto of Blue Bell, Pa.
DiBenedetto was hired by Gimbels in 1963 and started helping with the parade that same year.
He recalled the tradition of Santa climbing a fire department ladder several stories up the Gimbels building to Uncle Wip's Toyland.
“There would be massive, massive crowds squeezing as he went up. Almost the whole parade route, all the people, would sort of all mesh to the Gimbel building just to watch Santa go up that ladder and get into the store,” said DiBenedetto.
Things changed when Gimbels was sold to department store chain Sterns. It was 1986, and the future of the Thanksgiving Day Parade was in doubt.
“In very short order became clear that Gimbels was no longer going to carry Thanksgiving Day Parade,” former 6abc General Manager Rick Spinner recalled. “We had broadcast the parade for many years, and it became clear that we weren't going to have that parade to broadcast anymore unless something happened.”
Station management discussed the issue, trying to figure out how to keep the parade going. But, Spinner said, one thing was clear: it had to happen.
“I finally said, ‘Well, why don’t we produce the parade ourselves?” he said.
"Who better to do that than Channel 6?”
From that point on, 6abc not only televised the parade but produced every aspect of the production.
“We own it,” said 6abc’s current General Manager, Bernie Prazenica. “There’s no way anybody could take it from us.”
"We do it because it's for the community."
Watch film from the 1934 parade!
CC
Courtesy: University of South Carolina
He recalled the tradition of Santa climbing a fire department ladder several stories up the Gimbels building to Uncle Wip's Toyland.
“There would be massive, massive crowds squeezing as he went up. Almost the whole parade route, all the people, would sort of all mesh to the Gimbel building just to watch Santa go up that ladder and get into the store,” said DiBenedetto.
Courtesy: University of South Carolina
Santa climbs to Gimbels in 1934!
Courtesy: University of South Carolina
“Every aspect of that parade has somebody from the station involved in it and everybody at the station is doing something on Thanksgiving,” said John Morris, 6abc’s Vice President of Content Development and Innovation.
All of the hard work is done for one reason.
“Ultimately," Prazenica said, "we do it because it's for the community."
How 6abc saved the Thanksgiving Parade
Families continued making memories over the next several decades, including members of the 6abc family.
Meteorologist David Murphy started going to the parade as a child in the 1960s.
“The thing I remember the most about the parade back then was the bevy of TV personalities that would be on the floats, and Sally Starr was my favorite. She was on there and it would be a thrill to see her riding by,” he said. “That was plenty good enough for me. I was in seventh heaven.“
1965: David Murphy at the parade!
1978-1982: Dave Roberts and Jim O'Brien
Rick Spinner and Bernie Prazenica
From 1978 to 1982, the parade's broadcast on 6abc (back then we were Channel 6) was hosted by the beloved team of Jim O'Brien and Dave Roberts.
They were two of Philadelphia's favorite television personalities.
Video clips from '79 to '82 show how much fun they had together, as well as some big differences from the parade we all know and love today.
When Jim O’Brien passed away in 1983, Lisa Thomas-Laury came on board as co-host of the parade.
“The first parade I did without Jim in 1983 was extremely difficult, for all of us,” Dave said.
But the new co-hosts gelled right away.
“Dave is a selfless colleague,” Lisa said. “He wants you to do well, and you get that feeling as soon as you sit down with him.”
“Lisa’s a gem, she’s my partner,” said Dave. “She’s so kind and she’s so giving.”
“We used to just put blankets, electric blankets, over our knees, and my husband would give me something to put down in my boots, and I’d have them in my gloves,” she said.
But Dave and Lisa always had a warm reception from the audience, and each other!
“Dave would always look at, me and grab my hand or my arm,” Lisa said.
“We held hands and said, “Okay, come on! Let’s have some fun!”
Dave
Dave and Lisa share parade memories
1983-2004: Dave Roberts and Lisa Thomas-Laury
“It was specifically described that those 15 cars were lavishly decorated in crepe paper.”
Within five years the parade was already starting to become a Philadelphia staple. Live reindeer would pull Santa’s sleigh down the Parkway.
“1925 is really when the parade took off, when people really started to recognize that there was a parade going on,” Marcocci said.
Watch film from the 1957 parade!
WATCH FILM FROM THE 1934 PARADE!
Courtesy: University of South Carolina
Santa climbs to Gimbels in 1934
Courtesy: University of South Carolina
How 6abc saved Philadelphia's Thanksgiving Day Parade
Former 6abc General Manager Rick Spinner and current 6abc General Manager Bernie Prazenica
Families continued making memories over the next several decades, including members of the 6abc family.
Meteorologist David Murphy started going to the parade as a child in the 1960s.
“The thing I remember the most about the parade back then was the bevy of TV personalities that would be on the floats, and Sally Starr was my favorite. She was on there and it would be a thrill to see her riding by,” he said. “That was plenty good enough for me. I was in seventh heaven.“
Watch film from the 1957 parade
1965: David Murphy at the parade!
From 1978 to 1982, the parade's broadcast on 6abc was hosted by the beloved team of Jim O'Brien and Dave Roberts.
They were two of Philadelphia's favorite television personalities.
Video clips from 1979 to 1982 show how much fun they had together, as well as some big differences from the parade we all know and love today.
1978-1982: Dave Roberts and Jim O'Brien
When Jim O’Brien passed away in 1983, Lisa Thomas-Laury came on board as co-host of the parade.
“The first parade I did without Jim in 1983 was extremely difficult, for all of us,” Dave said.
But the new co-hosts gelled right away.
“Dave is a selfless colleague,” Lisa said. “He wants you to do well, and you get that feeling as soon as you sit down with him.”
“Lisa’s a gem, she’s my partner,” said Dave. “She’s so kind and she’s so giving.”
Dave and Lisa share parade memories
“We used to just put blankets, electric blankets, over our knees, and my husband would give me something to put down in my boots, and I’d have them in my gloves,” she said.
But Dave and Lisa always had a warm reception from the audience, and each other!
“Dave would always look at, me and grab my hand or my arm,” Lisa said.
“We held hands and said, “Okay, come on! Let’s have some fun!”
1983-2004: Dave Roberts and Lisa Thomas-Laury
Courtesy: Jack Gallagher
Courtesy: Jack Gallagher
Click here for more details about the 100th parade!
Tap here for more on the 100th
Thanksgiving Day Parade!