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2008 HARRISBURG
HOLIDAY PARADE
NOVEMBER 22, 2008 • 10:00 AM
2008 Holiday Parade Theme:
"America's Holiday Season: Rich in Tradition and Spirit!"
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Mayor Stephen R. Reed is pleased to announce that Harrisburg will again be treated to a number of traditional holiday events and a holiday light show during the 2008 Holiday Season!
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Click to enlarge parade route map! |
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The Mayor welcomes thousands of City residents and regional visitors and tourists to Downtown Harrisburg on Saturday November 22 for the 2008 Holiday Parade that marks the start of the 2008 Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanzaa, and New Year Season in the Greater Harrisburg region.
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 The parade is scheduled to begin at 10:00 AM. Harrisburg’s Holiday Parade was begun by the Mayor in 1986 and has since grown to become the region’s largest holiday parade. Over $7,500 in appearance monies and cash prizes are awarded to the top three entries in five categories of parade competition. The City-sponsored parade is also a sanctioned competition of the high school Cavalcade of Bands, which produces judged competitions for high school marching bands across the United States. This year’s Holiday Parade theme is "America’s Holiday Season: Rich in Tradition and Spirit!" and features over 2,500 marchers in over a hundred parade units, including giant helium-filled balloons, youth marching units, over a dozen marching bands, and scores of commercial and non-commercial floats, fire trucks and the first official appearance of Santa Claus in the region. Highlights of this year’s parade include an appearance of the recent Beijing Olympics Silver-Medalist, Hyleas Fountain and a new "Cookie Monster" balloon sponsored by PSECU who will also be distributing cookies to children along the parade route.
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2008 Parade
Grand Marshalls |
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Mayor Stephen R. Reed presents 2008 Holiday Parade Grand Marshalls John Travers and Kathleen Torchia
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The Harrisburg Holiday Parade will be led jointly by Grand Marshalls CWO 5, John Travers, USA (Ret.) and his wife Kathleen Torchia. John Travers is a decorated Vietnam Veteran who served his country as a DUSTOFF helicopter pilot, landing his aircraft in the heat of battle to rescue wounded soldiers. John is credited with rescuing over 1,500 soldiers from Vietnam battlefields during that war. Having graduated from Bishop McDevitt High School in 1966, where he excelled in basketball, John later went on to graduate with honors from Pennsylvania State University. John retired after 32 years of service to the U.S Army and Pennsylvania National Guard with the rank of Chief Warrant Officer 5. John Travers is one of chief coordinators of the new Military Division of the Harrisburg Holiday Parade.
Mrs. Travers, Kathleen Torchia, is the founder and Executive Artistic Director of Capitol Opera Harrisburg, one of three opera companies she has founded. Kathleen will be singing the National Anthem with soprano Lynn Panattoni at the beginning of the parade’s opening ceremony, just prior to joining John in the Grand Marshall’s lead vehicle.
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Parade Elements
• Commercial Floats
• Marching Bands
• Giant Helium Balloons
• Specialty Units
• Inflatable Costumes
• Lots of Fun and More! |
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| Parade Photo Galleries |
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2007 Photo Gallery
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2005 Photo Gallery
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