More than 110 units will participate in the annual Montgomery County Thanksgiving Parade in Silver Spring Saturday, Nov. 17, from 10 a.m.-noon.
The marchers will begin at the corner of Ellsworth Drive and Fenton Street, continue down Ellsworth to turn south on Georgia Avenue, and end at Silver Spring Avenue.
Units will include college and high school marching bands, Thanksgiving- and Christmas-themed floats, performances by the Maryland Youth Ballet and Princess Mhoon Dance Institute, South American musical groups and 12-foot inflatables, including a turkey, a dinosaur and a penguin.
Others participating the parade include motorcycle-riding and horse-mounted police, pageant winners, fire engines, antique cars, performing dogs and animal rescue groups, and the Kapitol Klowns.
The parade will once again be broadcast live on NewsChannel 8, with ABC7 Meteorologist Brian Van de Graaff and ABC7 Anchor Julie Wright as emcees. The parade will be rebroadcast several times on Thanksgiving Day.
Attendees also can take holiday photos next to the Veterans Plaza ice rink with an inflatable turkey or penguin, “Frozen’s” Elsa, or with Hanukkah and Christmas décor. All parade selfies marked with the hashtag #MoCoThanksParade will be broadcast on the jumbotron at Ellsworth and Fenton along the parade route.
Free parking will be available in public garages such as the Sligo Avenue garage, the Cameron Street garage, and the Bonifant Street garage next to Metro.
The Ellsworth Town Center garage will be closed on Nov. 17 from 2 a.m.-2 p.m., and the Wayne Avenue garage will be closed from 8 a.m.-2 p.m.
All lanes of Georgia Avenue from East-West Highway to Colesville Road will close at 7 a.m. and will reopen after the parade ends. Other road closures include:
- Cedar Avenue between Colesville Road and Wayne Avenue
- Pershing Drive from Cedar Avenue to Veterans Place
- Veterans Place from Pershing to Ellsworth Drive
- Ellsworth Drive from Georgia to Cedar avenues
- Roeder Road from Fenton Street to Cedar Avenue
- Fenton Street from Cameron Street to Wayne Avenue
- Wayne Avenue from Georgia Avenue to Fenton Street
- Bonifant Street from Georgia Avenue to Fenton Street
- Thayer Avenue from Georgia Avenue to Fenton Street; and
- Silver Spring Avenue from Georgia Avenue to Fenton Street.
The parade needs volunteers to serve as elves and pilgrims on floats, reindeer, and penguins. Volunteers aged 13 and older can dress up in costume, serve as unit leaders, and be inflatable and balloon handlers. The hours for volunteers are 7:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Nov. 17 and volunteers must be present the entire time.
The parade will be held rain or shine. For more information, call 240.777.0311 or visit the parade’s website, where volunteers also can register to help.
Photo from 2017 parade by Mike Diegel.