Giving thanks and giving back is what this time of the year is all about. Thanksgiving is just around the corner and the North Shore area offers many events for you to have fun, give back and enjoy all while kicking off this holiday season. Have a happy and safe Thanksgiving!


Chicago's McDonald's Thanksgiving Parade

Chicago's Annual Thanksgiving Parade kicks off at 8:30 a.m. on November 25, 2010 and features giant inflatables, marching bands, dancers and more! Parade route is from State Street from Congress to Randolph, starting at 8:30 and and running til 11am. 

Chicago puts on an amazing parade every turkey day and has done so since 1934. The State Street Thanksgiving Parade is attended by over 400,000 spectators and features over 100 participating "units", including marching bands, floats, horses, drill teams, circus performers, and more.

The parade also features huge character balloons, some topping out at 50 feet tall. This year's cast of balloon characters includes Elmo, the Pink Panther, the Cookie Monster, Popeye, Kermit the Frog, Bear in the Big Blue House, Strawberry Shortcake, Tom Turkey, Rudolph, The Nutcracker, Big Bird, Animal and Billy Blazes.

 33rd Annual Turkey Trot 8K

Register now for the annual tradition of fitness before the feast! The 33 Turkey Trot willl take place on Thanksgiving morning in beautiful Lincoln Park. The morning’s festivities will attract more than 5,000 runners and walkers, with the winners dashing off with some great prizes.

To get you into the spirit of the holiday, flap on down to a Thanksgiving Day tradition, and don’t forget to bring a couple of cans of food (or more) to help feed some of Chicagoland’s less fortunate. Canned goods will be collected at race packet pickup and the race site on Thanksgiving.  At last year’s race over 10,000 pounds of food was collected!

Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony

The City of Chicago and Underwriters Laboratories (UL) are proud to present the official start of the holiday season the 97th Annual Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony, Wednesday, November 24, 2010! The Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony is a highly-anticipated event drawing people of all ages to the heart of Chicago’s downtown “Loop.” Musical performances and festive holiday music begin at 4:30 pm and the holiday season officially commences at 5:00 pm, when the switch is flipped and the lights begin to dazzle in Daley Plaza.

 

Do you and your family have a Thanksgiving tradition? Share with us how you celebrate this holiday!

 

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