Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade is reportedly the
largest parade in the world, and the second oldest in the U.S. (Gimbels in
Philadelphia is the oldest.) But it wasn’t always Macy’s, and it didn’t start
in New York.
Louis Bamberger of Baltimore, Maryland was a shy man
who never married. A savvy businessman, he moved to Newark, New Jersey in 1892
and purchased a failing general goods store at an auction. He took on two
partners and renamed the shop L. Bamberger & Co. Immediately successful,
Bamberger’s, as it came to be known, grew and expanded, moving in 1912 to a
building that took up an entire city block. The store grossed $28 million in
sales in 1928 which is the equivalent of $399 million in 2017!)
At some point, Louis sponsored a Christmas parade. A
five-mile-long route extended from Orange High School and Carteret Academy to
the store via Central Avenue. Wildly popular, it took hundreds of police
officers to keep the thousands of spectators in line as they pressed together
to see the floats and costumed Bamberger employees, most of whom were
immigrants seeking to honor their new country.
In 1924, Macy’s purchased Bamberger’s, keeping the
brand name separate from their own. That year, Macy’s moved the parade to
Manhattan and began to call it a Thanksgiving Day parade, but Newark’s
Bamberger’s operated their event until 1957 when Macy’s discontinued the use of
the name.
Helium balloons didn’t arrive until 1928, and some of
the biggest attractions were the animals borrowed from the Central Park Zoo,
including elephants, monkeys, bears, and camels. Floats were the mainstay of
the parade with brass bands from all over.
According to many websites, the parade was suspended
from 1942 through 1944 because of the shortage of rubber, helium, and manpower,
but I would imagine that Macy’s understood there was nothing to celebrate until
the war ended in victory for the Allies.
One thing that has never changed since its inception,
is Santa’s presence. Ever generous, he lent his sleigh to Hollywood for the
filming of “Miracle on 34th Street.”
I grew up in New Jersey and had the pleasure of
marching in the parade for three of my four years in high school. Now, many
years later, the event still holds a special place in my heart, and I snuggle
on the couch every Thanksgiving to watch this iconic parade.
What are your memories of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day
Parade?
Linda Shenton Matchett is an author, speaker, and history geek. A native of Baltimore, Maryland, she was born a stone's throw from Fort McHenry and has lived in historic places all her live. Linda is a member of ACFW, RWA, and Sisters in Crime. She is a volunteer docent at the Wright Museum of WWII and a trustee for her local public library. To learn more about Linda, visit her website. If you enjoy history and would like to receive a free short story, sign up for her newsletter.
Linda, Interesting post for the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. I remember watching when younger and all the animated balloons. It seemed different this year with the balloons suspended to a lower height.
ReplyDeleteI remember watching it in my youth as we waited on Thanksgiving dinner to be done. I've never been to New York or seen the parade in person but I always associated it with the store that I first heard about when we watched Miracle on 34th Street. I love that movie and it is as much a part of Christmas as the parade is for Thanksgiving.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing!
I'm always learning something new :) Thank you!
ReplyDelete