Christmas celebrations start early, as the Grosse Pointe Chamber of Commerce puts their finishing touches on the 46th annual Christmas parade.
On Nov. 26 at 10 a.m., a group of 600 musicians, dancers and other entertainers will march down Kercheval Avenue, starting at Lewiston Road and ending at Coreander’s Children’s Bookshoppe. Chamber of Commerce President Jenny Boettcher, who worked alongside her colleagues Regan Stolarski and Rachele Wright to make the parade possible, said preparing for the parade is a large responsibility that begins with searching for sponsors in June.
“We start with our soliciting (of sponsors), and then we go to the parade company downtown to pick out floats,” Boettcher said. “After that, we start soliciting group participation from the schools and different entertainment groups.”
According to Boettcher, the parade will look slightly different from previous years. The final destination of the floats changed from “Santa’s Workshop” in the Village to Coreander’s Children’s Bookshoppe in Grosse Pointe Park. According to Boettcher, Santa and Mrs. Claus’ sleigh was sold in a public auction, so they will ride in a carriage this year, though they still remain a large part of the celebration.
“Santa is the last float in the parade,” Boettcher said. “He’ll stop and say hello to all the mayors and give them the key to the city. Then he’ll welcome the children and get back on the carriage that stops at Coreander’s, where he’ll be for a couple hours reading stories to the children and visiting with them.”
The Casali School of Dance Holiday Dancers, a group of 15 performers that ranges in age from 12 to 17, will be performing in the parade. Bella Hanika ’22 said teachers Anna Marie Casali and Patrice Iannace choreographed about eight mini routines to popular music starting in September.
“We do short dances that move, so you can walk through the parade behind the cars,” Hanika said. “It consists of kick lines and snowflake hands. Sometimes we use props. It just depends on the year.”
South’s marching band, directed by Christopher Takis, also participates in the parade according to Svea Swanson ’22. Swanson played trumpet in the parade during her freshman and sophomore years at South and said she looks forward to leading the band as a drum major this year.
“It’s always really fulfilling,” Swanson said. “It brings me a lot of joy to see how happy everyone is watching the parade. It’s definitely a bit chilly playing instruments, but it’s a really fun experience that gets everyone excited for Christmas.”