HOUSTON—The 60th annual H-E-B Holiday Parade rolled through downtown Houston Thursday morning, wowing the crowds that lined the route for a front-row seat to the best parade in Texas.
The parade started at 9 a.m. by Minute Maid Park and ended about an hour later near Discovery Green.
The tradition began in 1949 when Santa arrived at Union Station and rode his sleigh to the downtown Foley’s.
Heading up the 2009 parade as grand marshal was former astronaut Bernard Harris.
Harris was the first African-American to walk in space.
More than 5,000 people participated in this year’s parade, manning the floats, marching and performing on a beautiful, chilly morning.
There were floats featuring characters from the traditional first Thanksgiving story, floats themed to match "The Sound of Music" and—of course—the Santa Claus float. 11 News’ own Deborah Duncan sang on that one!
The star entertainer for this year’s parade was Naturi Naughton. She’s the singer and actress currently starring in the remake of "Fame." Her big break was in the movie "Notorious" about the life of the late rapper Notorious B.I.G.
The iconic Budweiser Clydesdales also took part in the fun.
Getting the horses ready for public appearances takes a lot of elbow grease, according to lead driver Pete Petersen.
"Generally on a typical day, it’s about five hours for five people to get the harnesses polished, the horses washed up and groomed, fed, exercised and the stalls cleaned," Petersen said.
Well worth the effort, though.
Despite the fact that he suffered a heart attack just last week, Houston legend Pancho Claus and his fleet of low-riders came out for the parade, too.
The entertainer, whose real name is Richard Reyes, was released from the hospital on Monday.
He’s been portraying Pancho Claus in Houston for 28 years.
After the parade, everyone was invited to attend the 15th annual Superfeast.
It’s started at 10 a.m. in front of Houston City Hall.
The volunteer effort included 9,000 pounds of turkey, 4,000 pounds of dressing, 400 gallons of gravy, 12,000 pounds of side dishes and 21,000 servings of desserts.
As always, dozens of blankets and clothes were handed out to those who needed them.
Happy Thanksgiving!
