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The
Parade
Company
unveils
Motown
float
commissioned
by Art
Van
Furniture
DETROIT
- The
Motown
Sound
that
jumped
out of
Hitsville
U.S.A.’s
Studio A
will be
celebrated
during
the 88th
America’s
Thanksgiving
Parade®
presented
by Art
Van
Furniture.
The
first-ever
Motown
Museum
float
commissioned
by Art
Van
Furniture
was
unveiled
tonight
at The
Parade
Company’s
annual
Parade
Preview
Party
and is
the
first
new
float
reveal
of the
parade
season.
Tony
Michaels,
president
& CEO of
The
Parade
Company
was
joined
by Art
Van
Elslander,
founder
and
chairman
of Art
Van
Furniture,
Robin R.
Terry,
chairman
of the
board of
trustees
for
Motown
Museum,
Allen
Rawls,
CEO of
the
Motown
Museum,
and more
than
1,200
parade
supporters
for the
grand
unveil.
“Our
city is
recognized
on an
international
level
for its
contributions
to the
music
industry
and it
is a
thrill
to
introduce
the
first-ever
Motown
Museum
float,”
said
Michaels.
“We are
grateful
to Art
Van for
making
this
historic
float
possible
and his
incredible
support
of the
parade
through
his
presenting
sponsorship
means so
much to
the
future
of The
Parade
Company.”
Sitting
60 feet
long,
the
float
will
boast a
replica
of the
famous
Motown
Museum
house
with the
“Hitsville
U.S.A.”
façade,
26
spinning
Motown
Museum
artist
records
and LED
lights
surrounding
the
house.
The
float
will
also
feature
a
larger-than-life
piano
which
can fit
15 Baby
Grand
Pianos
inside,
as well
as 40
feet of
piano
wire and
will be
playing
toe-tapping
tunes
along
the
parade
route.
"Motown
is
synonymous
with
Detroit,
and this
new
float is
our way
of
saluting
and
sharing
its 55
year
musical
legacy
with
Michigan
as well
as the
entire
country,"
said Art
Van
Elslander,
founder
and
chairman
of Art
Van
Furniture
whose
company
commissioned
the
float.
"This is
a joint
anniversary
gift for
families
to enjoy
for
decades
to
come."
"For the
first
time in
the
history
of the
Parade
Company,
this new
Motown
Museum
inspired
float
will
share
with
local
and
national
audiences
how the
unmistakable
Motown
Sound
was born
in
Detroit,"
said
Robin
Terry,
chairman
of the
board of
trustees
of the
Motown
Museum.
"Motown
Museum
is
committed
to
educating
the next
generation
of
creative
minds
and this
float
and
partnership
with Art
Van
Furniture
is a
highly-visible
platform
for us
to do
that in
an
exciting
way."
America’s
Thanksgiving
Parade®
presented
by Art
Van
Furniture
is
produced
by The
Parade
Company
and is
recognized
as one
of the
best
Thanksgiving
parades
in the
country
by U.S.
News &
World
Report
Travel.
Themed
“Walking
on
Sunshine,”
the
parade
will
step off
at 8:50
a.m. at
the
corner
of
Woodward
Avenue
and
Kirby,
adjacent
to the
Detroit
Institute
of Arts
in
Midtown,
and end
at
Congress
just
south of
Campus
Martius
Park in
downtown
Detroit.
American
Ice
Dancing
Gold
Medalists
Meryl
Davis
and
Charlie
White
will
serve as
Co-Grand
Marshals,
and the
two-hour
Parade
will be
featured
on WDIV-TV
Local 4,
including
a
one-hour
national
broadcast
reaching
more
than 140
major
cities
across
the
country.
News/Talk
760 WJR
will
also
broadcast
live
from the
parade
route.
Grandstand
tickets
are now
available
for
purchase
at
theparade.org.
About
The
Parade
Company
Founded
in 1984,
The
Parade
Company
is a
not-for-profit
organization
governed
by the
Michigan
Thanksgiving
Parade
Foundation
whose
board of
directors
is
comprised
of key
civic
and
corporate
leaders
in the
greater
Detroit
region.
The
Parade
Company
is
celebrating
88 years
of
Parade
tradition
in
Detroit
and is
committed
to
funding,
creating
and
executing
the best
family
events
in
Michigan.
The
Parade
Company
staff,
board of
directors
and
thousands
of
parade
volunteers
work
year-round
to bring
a wide
variety
of
magnificent
events
to the
City of
Detroit
and the
region
including
the Ford
Fireworks
and
America's
Thanksgiving
Parade®
presented
by Art
Van
Furniture.
Follow
The
Parade
Company
on
Facebook
and
Twitter.
About
Art Van
Furniture
Art Van
Furniture
is the
Midwest's
largest
furniture
retailer
and
America's
largest
independent
furniture
retailer.
The
company
operates
35
stores
throughout
Michigan,
three
stores
in
Chicagoland,
one
store in
Toledo,
Ohio, a
full
service
e-commerce
website,
plus 11
freestanding
Art Van
PureSleep
bedding
stores
in
Michigan
and
Ohio.
Founded
in 1959,
the
company
is
family-owned
and
headquartered
in
Warren,
Michigan.
Visit
artvan.com
for more
information.
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