CHICAGO - The Punjabi Cultural Society of Chicago (PCS) kept up its tradition of participating in the Chicago Thanksgiving Parade held on Thanksgiving Day, Thursday November 28, 2019, on State Street in the heart of downtown Chicago. Thanksgiving Parade is the biggest parade in Chicago and the city’s premier holiday event. Several thousand performers, with floats, balloons and marching bands, traveled north from Congress to Randolph for three hours, starting at 8 a.m.
"PCS has been participating in this parade since 2005. It gives our community great exposure in the mainstream, and it shows our commitment to celebrate the American festivals, in solidarity with the American people," said Rajinder Singh Mago the coordinator of the PCS float participation.
Chris Sullivan of the NBC TV’s program “This Is Us” and Miguel Cervantes of the Chicago production of “Hamilton” served as grand marshals. Villages all around the Chicagoland and cultures from around the world were represented through more than 90 units in the parade.
There were 20 spirited marching bands, 13 festive floats, 16 staged theatrical performances, 11 high stepping equestrian groups, 18 cultural groups, inflatables, celebrity guests, and thousands of dedicated volunteers, as the skyline filled with giant helium balloons, led by Teddy the Turkey, the parade’s official mascot. Harlem Globetrotters, Chicago Chinese Performing Arts Ensemble, Punjabi Cultural Society of Chicago, Medieval Times Dinner and Tournament, and many more performance groups and celebrities participated in the parade.
Chicago’s Thanksgiving Day Parade started back in the 1930's, when it was called the Christmas Caravan. The parade was created to help lift the spirits of those suffering through the Great Depression. The parade was first launched in 1934 as the “Christmas Caravan,” intended to cheer up city residents in the depths of the Great Depression. And the beloved tradition has carried on.
Punjabi Cultural Society of Chicago (PCS) is an all volunteer nonprofit 501 (c)3 organization promoting education, good citizenship, community development, civic commitment and involvement, and preserving Punjabi culture, language, sports and performing arts among its community members and also mainstream Americans in the Midwest and beyond. PCS caters to this need both by directly organizing events that bring community members together from all over the Midwest region, and by facilitating participation of its community members in mainstream activities.