DETROIT – The Parade Company is pleased to announce Meryl Davis and Charlie White, American Ice Dancing Gold Medalists, as Co-Grand Marshals for the 88th America's Thanksgiving Parade® presented by Art Van. The Michigan pair, who were the first Americans to bring home an Olympic Ice Dancing gold medal at this year's Winter Olympics in Sochi, will be celebrated along the parade route as it travels down Woodward Avenue on Thanksgiving morning.
"We are incredibly honored to announce Meryl Davis and Charlie White as Grand Marshals for this year's parade," said Tony Michaels, president & CEO of The Parade Company. "It has been thrilling to follow these two metro-Detroiters as they made history in the 2014 Winter Olympics and we are excited to celebrate them during America's Thanksgiving Parade presented by Art Van."
Davis and White awed audiences as they were the first Americans to win the Olympic ice dancing gold medal with their performance scoring the highest point total in the history of the Olympics. Davis and White are both University of Michigan students and longtime friends, raised in metro Detroit. Together they are the longest-lasting dance team in the United States with honors including: gold and silver Olympic medals, Olympic team bronze, two-time World Champions, the first Americans to win the World title, and they hold world records in short dance, free dance and total combined score.
"I am grateful to be a part of America's Thanksgiving Parade presented by Art Van, a cherished tradition I have grown up with," said Davis. "I look forward to traveling down Woodward Avenue on Thanksgiving morning and experiencing the parade with family, friends and fellow Detroiters who have showed me such strong support throughout my career."
It is an honor to be selected as a Grand Marshal for America's Thanksgiving Parade presented by Art Van," said White. "I am humbled to be a part of one of the best Thanksgiving parades in the country and have the opportunity to celebrate with the hundreds of thousands of Detroiters who attend this remarkable tradition."
Davis and White will join the impressive lineup of America's Thanksgiving Parade® presented by Art Van past Grand Marshals, including former Detroit Tiger's manager Jim Leyland, Congressman John Dingell and Debbie Dingell and Bill and Lisa Ford, Art Van Elslander and Paul W. Smith, among others, as they ride down Woodward Avenue Thanksgiving morning.
Recognized as one of the best Thanksgiving parades in the country by U.S, News & World Report Travel, America's Thanksgiving Parade® presented by Art Van will be held on Thursday, November 27. For more information, visit theparade.org.
The 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.