Those who walked in the parade ranged from elder to infant and long time participants to new participants. Even furry friends walk with their owners. Fellow South student Ciara Pongratz ’27 marched in her first parade as a part of the Girls Varsity Basketball team.
“I think this is a very important tradition,” Pongratz said. “I was excited to get together with my team and get in the holiday spirit.”
As community members gathered along the road to watch family, friends or just the incredible floats, a common emotion of pride radiated from the audience. Sawyer Weisbrodt ’25 came to watch his younger brother march with the Red Barons.
“This tradition brings the community together because we all get to be in the same place supporting each other and our community as a whole,” Weisbrodt said.
This Thanksgiving parade invites schools outside of South and North, proving to be a truly important parade where all can be a part of. It is an annual marker of Grosse Pointe Pride. Kathryn Borio, a member of the Grosse Pointe community, has been coming to the parade since she moved to GP. She can host family and friends before and after the parade, a perfect way it has given others traditions.
“I love to see the waving, smiling faces of my kids and their friends,” Borio said. “The parade is an embodiment of the spirit of Grosse Pointe where the community comes together to celebrate all of the things that make us wonderful.”
