Holmesburg and Mayfair
prepare for annual T-Day parade

The 32nd annual Mayfair-Holmesburg Thanksgiving Parade will take place on Sunday along Frankford Avenue.
The parade will begin at 1 p.m. at Frankford Avenue and Welsh Road.
The bands, dancers and marchers will head south on the avenue to Knorr Street. The theme is Hawaiian Holiday.
The budget for the parade is $13,500. It is sponsored by the Optimist Club of Philadelphia, Greater Kensington String Band and local businesses.
The highlight will be appearances by Santa and Mrs. Claus. Elves will distribute candy canes, and U.S. Postal Service representatives will collect children’s letters to Santa.
The parade lineup will include elected officials; classic cars; the Father Judge Crusaders Marching Band; the Junior Army and Navy ROTC programs at Frankford and Benjamin Franklin high schools; the Pride of Erin Irish Dancers; and an array of floats, bands, dance troupes, veterans, Scouts and cheerleaders.
The Delta Epsilon Beta Sorority chapters at Delaware Valley College and Bloomsburg University will be selling red, white and blue "hero" beads for $1 per set.
Proceeds will benefit the family of slain police officer Chuck Cassidy and a mentoring program for the children of active military personnel deployed in war zones. The mentoring program is named in memory of Scott Craven, a Northeast native and U.S. Air Force captain killed in a motor vehicle accident.
The Classy Clowns, dressed in tuxedos donated by Domenico’s Formal Wear, will collect donations for the 2008 parade.
Gary Cozens, a local insurance agent who is director of the parade, is urging parents to refrain from buying Silly String and other trinkets from vendors.
"Save the two dollars and give a dollar to the Cassidy and Craven foundations and a dollar to next year," he recommends.
"It will go a much longer way than buying Silly String and spraying it on each other."
For more information, call the parade office at 215-335-1055. ••