DETROIT — The Motown Sound that jumped out of Hitsville U.S.A.’s Studio A will be celebrated during the 88th America’s Thanksgiving Parade presented by Art Van Furniture on Nov. 27. The first-ever Motown Museum float commissioned by Art Van was unveiled at The Parade Company’s annual Parade Preview Party and is the first new float reveal of the parade season.
Tony Michaels, president & CEO of The Parade Co. was joined by Art Van Elslander, founder and chairman of Art Van Furniture, Robin R. Terry, chairman of the board of trustees for Motown Museum, Allen Rawls, CEO of the Motown Museum, and more than 1,200 parade supporters for the grand unveil.
Sitting 60 feet long, the float will boast a replica of the famous Motown Museum house with the “Hitsville U.S.A.” façade, 26 spinning Motown Museum artist records and LED lights surrounding the house. The float will also feature a larger-than-life piano which can fit 15 Baby Grand Pianos inside, as well as 40 feet of piano wire and will be playing toe-tapping tunes along the parade route.
“Motown is synonymous with Detroit, and this new float is our way of saluting and sharing its 55 year musical legacy with Michigan as well as the entire country,” said Van Elslander. “This is a joint anniversary gift for families to enjoy for decades to come.”
Themed “Walking on Sunshine,” the parade will step off at 8:50 a.m. at the corner of Woodward Avenue and Kirby, adjacent to the Detroit Institute of Arts in Midtown, and end at Congress just south of Campus Martius Park in downtown Detroit. American Ice Dancing Gold Medalists Meryl Davis and Charlie White will serve as Co-Grand Marshals, and the two-hour Parade will be featured on WDIV-TV Local 4, including a one-hour national broadcast reaching more than 140 major cities across the country. News/Talk 760 WJR will also broadcast live from the parade route. Grandstand tickets are now available for purchase at theparade.org.
