Like many of the 200 or so clowns who make up The Parade Company’s Distinguished Clown Corps – the group of clowns who walk the parade route during Detroit’s America’s Thanksgiving Parade — Jeremy Yagoda was convinced to take part by friends who were already part of the group.
Yagoda is the owner of Marvin’s Marvelous Mechanical Museum, the renowned Farmington Hills-based family friendly museum that features, among other things, dozens of games to delight children of all ages. When his friends described the Distinguished Clown experience to him, Yagoda noticed some similarities that were proven true afterward.
“I thought about it and thought it falls right in with what I do,” Yagoda, a first-time Distinguished Clown said shortly before hitting the parade route along Woodward. “Seeing the reaction on kids’ faces is priceless. It makes it all worth it.”
Yagoda was among some 200 Distinguished Clowns who walked during the parade, a three-hour trip along Woodward before thousands of spectators who braved freezing temperatures and gusty winds to watch the parade, which featured marching bands, decorated cars, giant balloons (which also survived the winds) and the parade’s 29 floats, built by the artists at The Parade Company.
The theme for the parade, sponsored by Gardner White, was “Thanksgiving is Better in Detroit. Former Mayor Mike Duggan and retired WDIV anchor Devin Scillian served as grand marshals.
For the fourth year, West Bloomfield resident Michelle McCormick was among the clowns handing out beads to the crowd. She said the clowns feed off the tremendous energy given off by the people along the route.
“Everybody here is just so happy,” McCormick said of her clownmates. “They’re all in great spirits. They all love Detroit. Why else would they be doing it?”
Sean Blenkhorn of New Baltimore was a Distinguished Clown for the eighth year. The reasons, Blenkhorn said, are simple.
“It’s one of the more fun days of the year,” he said. “Everybody’s so happy to see you. We don’t get enough of that.”
The reactions the clowns get from the crowd, particularly the children, brought Kim Gillen back for the second year.
“The joy on the kids’ faces … you become a different person,” said Gillen, a Detroit resident. “The kids think you’re magical. It’s the greatest thing I ever did.”
