Thanksgiving Day kicks off with slew of parades

By DEEPTI HAJELA, Associated Press Writer

NEW YORK – The 83rd annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade has kicked off in New York City with a 60-foot-tall Kermit the frog hovering over holiday revelers.

Thursday's extravaganza features marching bands, clowns, performers and two dozen floats. Thousands of tourists from across the country have lined up to catch a glimpse of a Thanksgiving tradition as pervasive as turkey and pumpkin pie.

Shailesh Dighe and his family split their time between Manhattan and Princeton, N.J. Despite the crowds, he says coming to the fabled parade is "totally worth it."

Dighe says: "When you watch it on TV, you don't get that feeling."

Elsewhere, thousands gathered in Detroit for the 83rd annual America's Thanksgiving Parade. The country's longest-run Thanksgiving Day parade is being held in Philadelphia for its 90th year.