Tomorrow is the time for turkey dinner, pumpkin pie and the annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.
When Snoopy and Garfield wind their way past Manhattan’s Herald Square this year, South Dakota’s float is due to carry a special guest to take part in the parade.
Singer-songwriter Don McLean, whose classic hit “American Pie” became an anthem for a generation, is set to ride along with the South Dakota float in Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.
The “Mount Rushmore’s American Pride” float features images of the renowned national memorial,
the Missouri River and the Badlands.
South Dakota state tourism spokesperson Wanda Goodman says Don McLean seemed like a perfect fit to Macy’s – which pairs performers with parade floats.
“So when they came back with Don McLean, we just sort of knew that this was the perfect act for the perfect artist to be a part of the South Dakota float,” explains Goodman. “And he will be singing his iconic ‘American Pie’ song, which I think is so appropriate for the Mount Rushmore float. So, we’re excited to have him as a party of our float and look forward to seeing him perform.”
More than 60 million viewers will see McLean on the South Dakota parade float - an image Goodman says should translate into increased tourism dollars.