The Chamber of Schenectady County has issued the following release regarding this Saturday's Gazette Holiday Parade in Downtown Schenectady:



On Saturday, November 20 the Capital Region will once again kick-off the Holiday Season with the 42nd annual Gazette Holiday Parade. As tradition dictates, this family friendly event will commence at 5pm at Schenectady County Community College in downtown Schenectady. The Gazette Holiday Parade, largest nighttime parade in the Northeast, usually attracts 20,000 - 40,000 spectators who line State Street in downtown Schenectady and watch over 100 floats, bands, and marchers from throughout the Capital Region. This year's theme -- "Schenectady Celebrates Disney!" has led to some fun and creative entries.



Grand Marshal Don Weeks of News Talk WGY has announced that he will be unable to participate as Grand Marshal of the Schenectady Holiday Parade because he is just returning to work after recovering from the flu. WGY weekend show host Joe Gallagher has graciously offered to fill-in for Don, similar to when he fills in for Don on the morning show from time to time. Joe will be acting on Don's behalf as Grand Marshal, but WGY management has asked Joe to keep Don's image as part of the Grand Marshal float, even if it means carrying a cardboard cutout in the car with him. Who knows what parade spectators might see!



The Parade route will be closed to traffic at 4 pm for the night's festivities. Radio Disney, the Electric City Clowns, and the Albany Devils mascot will help to entertain the crowds as they wait for the parade to start. Free parking will be available at the following locations: State & Erie Blvd Parking Lot, Erie & Liberty Parking Lot, Liberty and Broadway Parking Lot, Broadway Parking Garage, Franklin & Liberty Parking lot, and the municipal parking lot behind Proctor's Theatre.



Spectators are sure to enjoy some home town favorites that have appeared in national parades. The Amsterdam Rams Marching Band has appeared in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade and will be joined by the Schenectady High School Band which has been chosen to lead in Santa. The Merritt Majorettes drill Team and Junior Baton Twirlers have appeared at the Pro Bowl halftime show in Hawaii for the past 12 years.  Floats and marchers will include some Disney favorites including "It's a Small World," "Pirates of the Caribbean," "101 Dalmatians," "Cars," and "Bambi."



Several companies and organizations are sponsoring divisions and bands in this year's event including: the City of Schenectady, Schenectady County, Price Chopper, G.E. Power Systems, Fox 23 News, 1st National Bank of Scotia, Stewarts Shops, Holiday Inn, Mohawk Ambulance, Marshall & Sterling, Brown Transportation, Metroland, SEFCU, First Niagara, and the 109th Air National Guard. In addition to sponsors, volunteers from the 109th Air National Guard, Schenectady Rotary, Schenectady ROTC and Cornell Cooperative Extension will be on hand to help coordinate the 100 parade entries.

Who writes this crap? Schenectady has become Disneyland. Now the grand marshal will be carrying a cardboard dummy. Huh? They should carry a cardboard dummies of SS Savage, Mercury Morris and Mayor SOS. The Saturday BEFORE Thanksgiving. It was on Black Friday for decades to kick off the CHRISTMAS shopping season. No stores-no retail-no problem. After the parade run to the nearest governmental gin mill to tie one on! Special Downtown martinis only $18!

      How can anyone plan for this? Every year its a different date, different route-same idiots ruining it. Forget about tourists, forget about college students, forget about tradition. Only in Schenectady.

I wonder if all these groups, the Gazette and Schenectady will be paying the Walt Disney Company to use images, likenesses and themes for this parade.  I hear Disney is QUITE protective of their trademarks.

Yeah, true.  My sister put up videos on youtube of a neighbor's wedding and youtube took them down because of copyright violation, well, they shut off the music for all the videos of the receiption.

We used to go to the parade, we were really hoping to maybe go this year, but you know, DV's dem buddy ruined the parade.  Thanksgiving is coming up this week, we have cleaning to do, polishing the silver, lots of baking, and making the centerpiece.  There is no time for a parade on the weekend before Thanksgiving, it's too busy a time.  

The only proper day is the Friday after Thanksgiving, that's when all the hectic stuff from Thanksgiving is over, people have used Friday for their shopping or decorating for Christmas, and then the parade on that Friday was the fitting conclusion to those busy days.  And of course, that is the start of Christmas, but I guess DV and Stratton have gone commercial like the stores by moving everything before Thanksgiving

Some people will not go anymore because of the change to 'holiday parade' and the day change. I'm sure they won't be missed.
Some people are pissed because the day change was to accommodate proctors!
If there's a low turnout, you can bet that the gazette won't report THAT!
Or they will blame it on the windy weather!

Quoted from bumblethru

Some people will not go anymore because of the change to 'holiday parade' and the day change. I'm sure they won't be missed.

I wouldn't go for either reason...

The fiasco of Proctor's getting the date moved..

And changing the name of it to be PC.

Morons.

Quoted from 147

I wonder if all these groups, the Gazette and Schenectady will be paying the Walt Disney Company to use images, likenesses and themes for this parade.  I hear Disney is QUITE protective of their trademarks.

LOL! The Johnstown nighttime Christmas parade draws more sheeple than Schenectady. But don't tell the Gazetto. Instead of retailers the date is switched only to accommodate Morris/Proctor's.

Actually, the only time to start celebrating Christmas --- is December 24th .. Christmas Eve ...  and then
for the 12 days of Christmas to Jan 6.

The season between Thanksgiving and Christmas is Advent --- nothing more than a wreath with 4 candles
is up then.    

Then I put up my menorah for Hanukkah -- which falls at different times in December depending on the year.

Oh -- and don't expect to see me shopping for presents now or in December.    I do my Christmas
shopping ... gradually .. through the year .. if I see something for someone on my list, I buy it and put it away.  This year, my shopping was done by the first week of August.

and just so you don't spend the next 5 weeks wondering -- no one who reads these posts is on my
shopping list

Quoted from DemocraticVoiceOfReason

and just so you don't spend the next 5 weeks wondering -- no one who reads these posts is on my
shopping list

Well same here.....

Quoted from B GAGE

Well same here.....

oh .. wait .. I think you are my list to get some home-made peanut brittle

Quoted from DemocraticVoiceOfReason

oh .. wait .. I think you are my list to get some home-made peanut brittle

No thanks

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Judging should be done at the end of parade route

The Nov. 20 Christmas parade in Schenectady, as impressive as the majority of it was, left several blocks of little guys and parents alike wondering what happened to the Schenectady school band and Santa?
After the band and Santa arrived at the judges’ stand, everyone waited for the arrival of both the band and Santa for so long that people started to leave. Finally after 10 minutes, Santa flew by on a horse-drawn carriage and my great-granddaughter said, “Wait, Santa didn’t even see me!” She is 2 years old and thought that was her last shot at the jolly ole guy. Then much later, the fantastic Schenectady high school band marched by when most of the crowd had left.
It was very disappointing, and maybe next year the judges’ stand should be the end of the parade, so this doesn’t happen again.

Joyce D’Annibale
Schenectady

http://www.dailygazette.com/news/2010/nov/26/1126_online/