A show that's as warm and cozy as sitting in front of the fireplace with a mug of hot
chocolate. - DETROIT NEWS
Merry, bright and in the finest tradition. - DETROIT FREE PRESS
"Irving Berlin's White Christmas" is definitely worth a sleigh ride to Detroit.
- FLINT JOURNAL
Not to be missed by anyone. - WINDSOR STAR
Step aside "Christmas Carol." Twirl back "Nutcracker." There's a new kid on the
seasonal entertainment block, and its star is Irving Berlin.-OAKLAND TRIBUNE
White Christmas is as enchanting as a first snow. -SAN FRANCISCO EXAMINER
Somebody once said you couldn't have a holiday without Irving Berlin's permission.
-SAMMY CAHN
chocolate. - DETROIT NEWS
Merry, bright and in the finest tradition. - DETROIT FREE PRESS
"Irving Berlin's White Christmas" is definitely worth a sleigh ride to Detroit.
- FLINT JOURNAL
Not to be missed by anyone. - WINDSOR STAR
Step aside "Christmas Carol." Twirl back "Nutcracker." There's a new kid on the
seasonal entertainment block, and its star is Irving Berlin.-OAKLAND TRIBUNE
White Christmas is as enchanting as a first snow. -SAN FRANCISCO EXAMINER
Somebody once said you couldn't have a holiday without Irving Berlin's permission.
-SAMMY CAHN
The Theater, an awe-inspiring combination of Far Eastern, Indian and Egyptian styles,
was the second largest theater in the world. But it surpassed all others in grandeur. The
new 10-story marquee overlooks Woodward Avenue.
was the second largest theater in the world. But it surpassed all others in grandeur. The
new 10-story marquee overlooks Woodward Avenue.
In 1924, Charles F. Wendel, display
manager at the J.L. Hudson Company,
conceived the idea of a grand
Thanksgiving parade down Woodward
Avenue, with Santa alighting from his
sleigh at Hudson's to take up residence at
the 12th floor Toyland.
His idea would become one of Detroit's
longest-running and most beloved
traditions.
Wendel's initial inspiration came from a
stunt in Toronto where Santa arrived at
Eaton's department store in an old time
Tally-Ho carriage, but Wendel elaborated
on the idea. A European trip with his wife
had introduced him to the Italian carnivals
in Venice and Viareggio featuring dancing
through the streets and giant papier
mache heads, and these would become
the foundation for his parade.
The first parade in 1924 had four bands,
huge heads carried on the shoulders of
marchers, 10 floats depicting nursery
rhymes, and bands from Highland Park,
Hamtramck and Northwestern high
manager at the J.L. Hudson Company,
conceived the idea of a grand
Thanksgiving parade down Woodward
Avenue, with Santa alighting from his
sleigh at Hudson's to take up residence at
the 12th floor Toyland.
His idea would become one of Detroit's
longest-running and most beloved
traditions.
Wendel's initial inspiration came from a
stunt in Toronto where Santa arrived at
Eaton's department store in an old time
Tally-Ho carriage, but Wendel elaborated
on the idea. A European trip with his wife
had introduced him to the Italian carnivals
in Venice and Viareggio featuring dancing
through the streets and giant papier
mache heads, and these would become
the foundation for his parade.
The first parade in 1924 had four bands,
huge heads carried on the shoulders of
marchers, 10 floats depicting nursery
rhymes, and bands from Highland Park,
Hamtramck and Northwestern high
 |  |  |  |
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| Answer to Quiz #89 - December 10, 2006 |
| 1. Where was the photographer standing when he took this photo? 2. What event is shown in the picture? |
| ********** |
| If you enjoy our quizzes, don't forget to order our books! Click here. |
If you have a picture you'd like us to feature a picture in a future quiz, please
email it to us at CFitzp@aol.com. If we use it, you will receive a free analysis of
your picture. You will also receive a free Forensic Genealogy CD or a 10%
discount towards the purchase of the Forensic Genealogy book.
email it to us at CFitzp@aol.com. If we use it, you will receive a free analysis of
your picture. You will also receive a free Forensic Genealogy CD or a 10%
discount towards the purchase of the Forensic Genealogy book.
| Contest #89 Results |
 |  |  |  |
| Thanks to Dale Niesen for submitting this week's photo. Click on thumbnail to see larger image. |
| Answers: 1. Northeast corner of Woodward & W. Elizabeth Street, Detroit, MI, across the street from the Fox Theatre at 2211 Woodward Avenue. 2. 80th America's Thanksgiving Day Parade. The Uncle Sam balloon entry was sponsored by Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Michigan. |
| Click on thumbnail to see larger version of map. |
| Detroit Thanksgiving Day Parade |
| Congratulations to Our Winners! |
| Theresa White Kristi Murdock Sandy Thompson Will John Debbie Sterbinsky Kathy Storm Kelly Fetherlin Grace Hertz Tracy Luscombe Tom Pincince Evan Hindman John Chulick Fred Stuart Beth Tafel Anna Farris Rick Mackinney Judy Pfaff Mary Fraser Jim Kiser Gary Sterne Stan Read Joel Amos Gordon William Hughes If your name has been omitted from our list of winners, let us know. It was unintentional. |
Click here to see news video about
the parade featured on The Detroit
News, November 21, 2006.
the parade featured on The Detroit
News, November 21, 2006.
Parading at the heart of the
city
New route, start time and prizes
mark 80th year of America's
Thanksgiving Parade
Kimberly Hayes Taylor / The Detroit News
Nearly 1 million spectators are
expected to attend the 80th anniversary
of America's Thanksgiving Parade in
downtown Detroit, and the Parade
Company has made some big changes
for Thursday's milestone celebration...
New start time and route...
Dress for mild November temps...
The Grand Marshal, drum roll
please...
Count the celebrities...
Where are the best seats?...
Read more...
city
New route, start time and prizes
mark 80th year of America's
Thanksgiving Parade
Kimberly Hayes Taylor / The Detroit News
Nearly 1 million spectators are
expected to attend the 80th anniversary
of America's Thanksgiving Parade in
downtown Detroit, and the Parade
Company has made some big changes
for Thursday's milestone celebration...
New start time and route...
Dress for mild November temps...
The Grand Marshal, drum roll
please...
Count the celebrities...
Where are the best seats?...
Read more...
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Click here to see news video about the parade featured on The Detroit News,
November 21, 2006.
November 21, 2006.
| The Detroit News, Rearview Mirror The Detroit Thanksgiving Day Parade http://info.detnews.com/history/story/index.cfm?id=173&category=life |
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| Mother Goose, 1924. http://info.detnews.com/dn/history/parade/images/goose.gif |
| The Old Woman in the Shoe, 1925. http://info.detnews.com/dn/history/parade/images/shoefloat.gif |
schools. Floats included The Old Lady Who Lived in a Shoe and Mother Goose.
In 1925, 300 male employees of Hudson's marched in the parade. Detroit Creamery
loaned its horses and wagons to pull the 26 floats and Santa. A live elephant was used
to promote a toy sold at the store.
By 1939, there were eight brass bands and 1,008 assorted characters from fairy tales
In 1925, 300 male employees of Hudson's marched in the parade. Detroit Creamery
loaned its horses and wagons to pull the 26 floats and Santa. A live elephant was used
to promote a toy sold at the store.
By 1939, there were eight brass bands and 1,008 assorted characters from fairy tales
and nursery rhymes. Donald Duck was there
along with the biggest candystick in the world.
The giant heads came from a small studio in
Viareggio, Italy, hand made by Alfredo
Morescalchi and his staff. Morescalchi was the
chief designer of floats and masks for the
Viareggio carnival, the largest in Italy. Over the
years he made hundreds of heads for the
Hudson's parade. The heads in Italy are three
stories high, but because of overhead wires, the
Detroit heads were smaller. In Detroit, Charlie
Gettel patched and pampered the heads for more
than 45 years. Famous people portrayed by the
more than 600 heads included Henry Ford, Rosa
Parks, Charles Lindbergh and Joe Louis.
Detroiters flocked to the parade right from the
start. Crowds ranged from more than 100,000 in
the '20s to close to a million in the '90s. The
crowd were so large, in fact, that the Protestant
Pastors Union of Greater Detroit consulted with
Hudson's in 1940 complaining that the
Thanksgiving Parade was interfering with
services. Early morning services, even if
scheduled at 7 a.m., had parents leaving early. A
later service, at 11 a.m., had people straggling in
late. The pastors considered the Thanksgiving
along with the biggest candystick in the world.
The giant heads came from a small studio in
Viareggio, Italy, hand made by Alfredo
Morescalchi and his staff. Morescalchi was the
chief designer of floats and masks for the
Viareggio carnival, the largest in Italy. Over the
years he made hundreds of heads for the
Hudson's parade. The heads in Italy are three
stories high, but because of overhead wires, the
Detroit heads were smaller. In Detroit, Charlie
Gettel patched and pampered the heads for more
than 45 years. Famous people portrayed by the
more than 600 heads included Henry Ford, Rosa
Parks, Charles Lindbergh and Joe Louis.
Detroiters flocked to the parade right from the
start. Crowds ranged from more than 100,000 in
the '20s to close to a million in the '90s. The
crowd were so large, in fact, that the Protestant
Pastors Union of Greater Detroit consulted with
Hudson's in 1940 complaining that the
Thanksgiving Parade was interfering with
services. Early morning services, even if
scheduled at 7 a.m., had parents leaving early. A
later service, at 11 a.m., had people straggling in
late. The pastors considered the Thanksgiving
| Santa's Workshop, 2002. http://www.theparade.org/gallery/dbphotosize.aspx?w=330&h=246&id=25 |
Parade only a little less detrimental than if it were held on Easter morning!
Read more....
Read more....
| Santa Arrives, 2002. http://www.theparade.org/gallery/dbphotosize.aspx?w=330&h=246&id=27 |
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| More Cool Stuff about Detroit |
by Laurie J. Marzejka
When the opening-night curtain rose at
Detroit's Fox Theatre on Sept. 21, 1928,
an audience of 5,000 invited guests came
to 2211 Woodward Avenue to see what
had been billed as a "Temple of
Amusement." They did not go home
disappointed.
| Detroit News, Rearview Mirror Detroit's Historic Fox Theatre http://info.detnews.com/history/story/index.cf m?id=63&category=locations |
| List of films set/filmed in Detroit |
The lobby of this mammoth 10-story structure,
which was six stories high and half a block
which was six stories high and half a block
long, was surrounded by blood-red marble columns. Each column held its own jeweled
figure representing various Asiatic Gods.
figure representing various Asiatic Gods.
| List of people born in Detroit |
The decorative scheme used subdued tones of
gold to contrast a riot of color. Hangings in the
gold to contrast a riot of color. Hangings in the
lobby were in golden damask and stage draperies combined regal-red velour and
damask which were set off by a festooned drapery with a wide silken fringe.
Guests were greeted by notes from a small Moller organ situated over the entrance.
damask which were set off by a festooned drapery with a wide silken fringe.
Guests were greeted by notes from a small Moller organ situated over the entrance.
| List of songs about Detroit |
The 3,600-square-foot lobby was covered by
the largest wool rug ever made by an American
the largest wool rug ever made by an American
manufacturer. Weighing approximately 3,000 pounds, this carpet reached to the foot of
the lobby's grand stairway that led to the mezzanine and balcony levels. There was also
an escalator and large passenger elevators --- the only theatre in Michigan so
equipped. Read more....
the lobby's grand stairway that led to the mezzanine and balcony levels. There was also
an escalator and large passenger elevators --- the only theatre in Michigan so
equipped. Read more....
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| Factoid about Detroit |
Detroit is the only continental US city north
of a Canadian city, Detroit is north of
Windsor because of the way the Detroit
River flows at that point.
of a Canadian city, Detroit is north of
Windsor because of the way the Detroit
River flows at that point.
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| Read more about Detroit on Wikipedia at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Detroit |
| Order Your Tickets Today! Irving Berlin's White Christmas Fox Theatre November 17-December 30, 2006 http://www.olympiaentertainment.com/events/eventDetail.jsp?id=437 |
| Detroit Thanksgiving Day Parade by Romie Minor, Laurie Anne Tamborino, The Parade Company ISBN: 0738531782 128 pp Arcadia Publishing 09/10/2003 Available from Arcadia Publishing |
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