
Rebecca Sorensen, who marched Thursday in her 18th America’s Thanksgiving Parade, figures she’s brought more than 30 additional clowns into the parade’s Distinguished Clown Corps, making her a kind of “Pied Piper” for the Corps.
And she wouldn’t have it any other way. Sorensen, a Bloomfield Hills resident who was the Corps’ first female Grand Jester, called it a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
“It’s the closest I’ll ever come to being a rock star,” Sorensen said of the experience walking the parade route and tossing beads to the beaming crowds. “It’s just so much fun.”
The parade is supported by countless businesses from around Detroit, including Gardner White, the furniture giant who just signed on to be the presenting sponsor through at least 2035, Emagine Theaters, which sponsors the Distinguished Clown Corps, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, whose retiring president and CEO, Daniel Loepp, served as one of three grand marshals Thursday and a host of others.
Sorensen was among more than 200 members of the Distinguished Clown Corps – the group of clowns who walk the parade route greeting the throng and passing out beads and smiles – who took part in Thursday’s parade.

That included some 45 first-time clowns, including Lucie Lemieux of Clarkston, who joined her brother, Paul, and a group of his Clarkston High School lacrosse teammates marching for the second straight year.
“My brother’s lacrosse team did it last year and I thought it would be fun,” said Lucie, who admitted she was nervous. “I’ve never been a clown before. It’s a lot of pressure.”
Sarah Ryba of Milford is generally hosting her family’s Thanksgiving dinner and so hadn’t joined her husband, Kyle, down at the parade route in his first two years as a clown.
That changed this year, when Sarah and her children, Lucas and Ellie, watched from the grandstand as Kyle did his clown thing.
“I just hope I can pick him out in the crowd,” Sarah said, laughing. “It’ll be fun, it’ll be festive. It’s great to be here in person.”
John Landis, the Corps’ longest-tenured clown walking in his 36th parade, made it a family affair this year, as he usually does. His wife of 53 years, Jan, joined other family members in the grandstand.

“It’s awesome,” Jan said. “It’s a great family tradition.”
John, who has been a Grand Jester, walked with two daughters this year. His granddaughter, 13-year-old Joelle Leciejewski, a Holmes Middle School (Livonia) student who usually watches from the grandstand.
But this year she rode on the Corps’ float, helping prepare the thousands of sets of beads the clowns pass out.
“I’ve been watching my grandpa and my aunt (march), and I wanted to do something,” Joelle said. “It’s a family tradition. It wouldn’t be Thanksgiving without it.”
That’s how Duane Mezwa of Rochester Hills feels. Mezwa, a Distinguished Clown for 28 years, said being a member of the Corps is “a great way” to give back to the community.
“It’s the smiles on the kids’ faces when you put the beads on them,” Mezwa said. “It just doesn’t get any better than that.”