Volunteers Needed for the 76th McDonald’s® Thanksgiving Parade in Chicago November 26, 2009

If you ever wanted to carry a giant inflatable Elmo balloon or march in front of a 100-piece band, then you can be part of Chicago’s holiday tradition, becoming a volunteer at the McDonald’s Thanksgiving Parade.

“More than 1,300 volunteers help make the McDonald’s Thanksgiving Parade the incredible annual holiday event that it is,” said Anniece Anderson and Victoria Prince, co-chairs of the McDonald’s Thanksgiving Parade Volunteer Board. “Now is the time to jump on board!”

The McDonald’s Thanksgiving Parade is now recruiting volunteers. Become part of the action on Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, November 26 from 6 a.m. – noon (the parade runs live from 8 a.m. – 11 a.m. CST on WGN). Volunteers make it possible for over 400,000 State Street spectators and millions of homes tune in to watch talented marching bands from all over the country, giant inflatable balloons, beautiful cultural performances, spectacular equestrian units and lively staged performances.

There are many opportunities still available for individuals (12 years of age or older), families, and groups to show their spirit of giving. To apply, visit: www.chicagofestivals.org/volunteer.html

BALLOON HANDLER – Ever wonder how a 70-foot tall Bullwinkle J. Moose makes his way up State Street? Help maneuver 3,000 cubic feet of helium under the “L” tracks and down the parade route. Must be at least 18 years of age, minimally have one year volunteer experience with the parade and be able to attend balloon training at Parade School on Saturday, November 14.

BANNER CARRIER – Make your television debut! Join hundreds of other famous hopefuls proudly carrying unit and partner banners up the route. You may walk between one and three miles the day of the event and are required to wear khaki pants on parade day.

BLOCK MARSHALS – Are you always on time? Then McDonald’s Thanksgiving Parade needs you! Block Marshals are stationed at every block to maintain the speed and spacing of units as they march up State Street. Block marshals communicate with step-off, TV Zone and parade participants to achieve perfect parade timing.

DISBAND – Where do all the participants go at the end of the parade route? You will direct them on the disband team! Volunteers show units to their appropriate disband areas insuring units maintain forward motion and keep the TV zone from backing up.

GIFT BAG COMMITTEE – Are you a people person? Learn how all those wonderful goodies are collected and packaged together for volunteers on Thanksgiving morning. Help recruit donations for the Volunteer Gift Bag and Raffle then attend the hottest party in town on Sunday, November 22. Enjoy some pizza and other goodies while stuffing gift bags for yourself and other parade volunteers.

HOSPITALITY – Calling all social butterflies! Our hospitality committee hosts the parade’s very important guests by assisting with food service, clean-up, ticket collection and crowd control. Get a fantastic view of the parade from the VIP section.

MERCHANDISE – Do you have retail experience and love interacting with people? Join the parade’s merchandise team and see everyone’s smiling faces as you pass out goodies to the crowd, sell parade souvenirs, give away free coupons, or distribute volunteer gift bags at the end of the Parade to other hard-working volunteers like yourself.

POO CREW – Do you crave applause and attention? Join the equestrian waste removal squad and receive the loudest cheers on the route! Always a crowd favorite, Poo Crew teams will be assigned to an equestrian unit to monitor and remove animal waste. Grab friends or family and make a Poo Crew of your own.

SHUTTLE ESCORTS –Take a ride with parade celebrities as a shuttle escort! Ride with them in the shuttle from the Green Room to their on-site locations and ensure that their journey is safe, successful and enjoyable.

STAGING – Keep the parade on track! Staging committee members are the first to greet parade participants. Check in incoming units and direct them to their staging area. Then get ready to monitor, direct and usher participants to the integration area and into the parade line-up.

TECH CREW – Like to get down and dirty? Help set up and tear down the parade route, including the VIP area, bleacher seating, dasher wall and much more! By making the parade route-ready for hundreds of thousands of streetside spectators and millions of viewers at home, you’ll be setting the stage for a memorable event!

VOLUNTEER CHECK-IN – Welcome all the wonderful McDonald’s Thanksgiving Parade volunteers with a smile. Team members will be responsible for checking in volunteers and answering questions about their day-of-event responsibilities.

WGN 9 Chicago will air the parade live and in high definition from 8 a.m. – 11 a.m. (CST) on Thursday, November 26. WGN America will also broadcast the parade nationally, establishing it as one of only three parades in the country to be covered live, in its entirety, on a national television broadcast.

McDonald’s is the title sponsor of the 2009 McDonald’s Thanksgiving Parade. Supporting sponsors include Case New Holland.

For more information about the McDonald’s Thanksgiving Parade, contact the Chicago Festival Association at (312) 235-2217 or log on to www.chicagofestivals.org.

Become parade mascot Teddy Turkey’s friend on Twitter, Facebook and MySpace!

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Official Website: http://www.chicagofestivals.org