Thanksgiving parade brings joy to Chicago after intense immigration enforcement: 'It's a strong city'

Hundreds of excited parade-goers — from young children to the elderly — cheered with rosy cheeks and runny noses as a giant inflatable turkey slowly made its way down State Street Thursday morning, marking the beginning of the 91st Thanksgiving Parade in the Loop.

Attendees say the joyful atmosphere comes at a time where the city needs it following a tense couple of months stemming from Operation Midway Blitz and, more recently, a pair of shootings in the Loop shortly after the Christmas tree lighting ceremony that left 14-year-old Armani Floyd dead and eight other teens wounded Friday night.

"I think it's really, really important for people to come out and show that we're not afraid and that we're able to all be together and be here for the same cause, [which is] just celebrating being thankful," said Lupe Moya, 37.

Moya, who came to the parade from north-suburban Zion with her parents, cousins, aunts, nephews, nieces and kids, has made the parade an essential part of her family's Thanksgiving tradition for more than a decade.

"It's pretty much the same thing every year, it hasn't changed," Moya said. "We like that it's not a lot of different changes."

While Moya has been attending the parades for years, Melissa Taylor, Casey Valdovinos and their daughter, Lydia, came from Madison, Wisconsin to attend their first parade.

"It's been on my bucket list for a long time so we decided to make the trip," said Taylor, 44. "We watched it on TV every year since I was a kid so [I wanted to] just be able to see it in person."

Though coming from a different state, Taylor and Valdovinos complimented the city’s resiliency leading up to the parade.

"It's a strong city," Valdovinos, 44, said. "They are good at standing up for themselves."

Jay Castillo brought his three sons to the parade from south-suburban Blue Island after years of not knowing there was a Thanksgiving parade so close to home.

"I'm looking forward to getting the holiday season started," Castillo, 52, said. "[Between] all the protests [and] violence, hopefully this reunites the city into some sort of peacefulness at the start of a joyful season."

Dozens lined the curbs on Ida B. Wells Drive and State Street donning blankets, scarfs, caps and hand warmers as they excitedly waited for the parade to start.

A Chicago police motorcade followed by an inflatable turkey kicked off the festivities as horns and drums of marching bands from Oak Grove and Lake Zurich high schools closely followed.

Members of the Mobile Azalea Trail Maids from Mobile, Alabama, and practitioners of Falun Dafa, a spiritual practice, were also at the parade.

The parade stepped off around 8:45 a.m. and moved down State Street to Randolph Street.

Originally called the Christmas Caravan, the parade was started in 1934 to help lift the spirits of residents going through the Great Depression, according to the Chicago Thanksgiving Parade’s official website.

"Broadcast and streamed to millions, the parade reflects Chicago’s enduring spirit of togetherness, creativity, and community pride," the parade's website notes.