|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready... |
Thanksgiving Day Parades: Enough with the singing and dancing!
What has happened to the Macy’s now Dunkin Day Parade? It seems like Broadway and the flashy dancers have taken over, with non-stop marketing for their mediocre musicals and talentless dancers. How many times do we have to endure this before the parades get canceled? Kids are going to have nightmares.
The Philadelphia Parade isn’t any better, and it looks like a poor man’s wannabe Macy’s parade with a bunch of terrible dancers and untalented people with the worst music choices ever. The balloons look like they haven’t eaten in 10 years, the dancers look like all they do is eat, and the bands – who are they? Nobody knows these bands. To top it off, they bring in a bunch of Mummers to poorly dance around in their flashy costumes.
Let’s stop the madness, singing, dancing, and propaganda. The parade of 2023 made me miss the darkest day in parade history: Thanksgiving 1997.
The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade of 1997 indeed holds a poignant place in the event’s history, primarily due to the dramatic incident involving “Barney .”This incident is often recalled with a mix of shock and dark humor, particularly because of how it unfolded in full view of the public. The horror of it still haunts me.
The 1997 Macy’s Parade: The “Barney” Incident
On that fateful day, the parade was challenged by unusually strong winds. These conditions proved too much for several of the balloons, with the “Barney” balloon being the most notable casualty. Due to the high winds, the balloon became uncontrollable and eventually got caught on a lamppost. The incident led to the balloon being punctured and deflated in a rather dramatic fashion.
“They just kept slashing him, over and over, as his skin just flapped in the wind – it was horrible.”
People were screaming, Barney, Barney. No one could stop them. Slashing over and over, I still have nightmares about it.
The deflated and broken look on his face is permanently tattooed in my mind. After that dark day, the parades were never the same again. But now, the singing and dancing might be worse than gutting Barney on national television.
The Public Impact
The event was indeed shocking, especially for the younger audience. For many children, watching these larger-than-life characters parade through the streets is a magical experience. To see one of these beloved characters being destroyed was unsettling. The live broadcast and the presence of a large crowd on the streets of New York City meant that many witnessed the incident firsthand. Watching these dancers and singers is not a magical experience unless you are a friend of musical theatre, and even then, it is a stretch.
The Aftermath and Safety Measures
This incident was a wake-up call regarding safety measures for the parade. Following 1997, Macy’s and New York City officials implemented stricter guidelines for balloon handling, especially in adverse weather conditions. The safety of participants, spectators, and the balloons themselves became a priority, leading to improved guidelines that would prevent such incidents in the Future.
How about removing the images from my memory? Can you; or maybe stop the singing and dancing and bring back the school marching bands and healthier balloons that people recognize.
Reflection and Moving Forward
While it’s remembered as a dark day in the parade’s history, it’s also a testament to the resilience and adaptability of this iconic event. The parade didn’t “die” that day; instead, it evolved, learning from its challenges to ensure safer and more enjoyable experiences for years to come.
In the years following, the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade has continued to bring joy, entertainment, and a sense of community to millions. The “Barney” incident remains a notable historical footnote, a reminder of the unpredictable nature of such large-scale events and the importance of continuous improvement in public event safety.
The 2023 Thanksgiving Day Parades will never be forgotten.
Like that horrible day in 1997, we will never forget the sign of geriatric Village people on a float that looked like the budget got cut halfway through the building. What was the Philly parade team thinking? Hey, Parade people, stop making these parades for yourself and make them for our kids.
Here is a helpful note to the parade people in America: No one under the age of 50 knows what Back to the Future is, and for the sake of all that is entertainment, don’t make Doc and Marty dance and sing. That is just wrong on so many levels.
Try gleaming your ideas from kids, not 65-year-old dancers, who obviously are past their prime. No offense, but can we hire some better commentators? CBS and ABC really cornered the market on dumb-as-rocks commentary.
Stop producing the parade for the TV audience; make them for the audience on the street, or don’t do them!
