Detroit City Wire

In a brief appearance on "The Frank Beckmann Show," Tony Michaels, president and CEO of The Parade Company, said the upcoming Thanksgiving Parade will be held virtually this year following the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Guest host Guy Gordon raised concerns that many people would want to sneak in and watch the parade themselves, leading him to ask Michaels what plans his company had in mind to ensure crowds would not form during the parade, as they normally would during an event as popular as this one.

The Parade Company will be working with local police to devise a safe and effective strategy. "We're putting bike racks close to the buildings. We're going to have security guards inside the ropes. There's really not going to be many places for you to watch at all, because it's going to line up from Grand River, which is in front of the Shinola Hotel, and it will go north." Michaels explained. "We'll keep the intersections open of course, but it will be boxed off."

Gordon aptly noted that there is a historical precedent for closing off the Thanksgiving Day Parade from public access, dating back to the Spanish Flu Pandemic of 1918. The Parade Company has reportedly been working with officials in New York City to devise a strategy. "New York is allowing 25% of the audience to come in person," Michaels noted.

That said, Detroit plans on taking extra precautions by not allowing any access to individuals for its 2020 parade.

A critical partner to the parade is Detroit-based Strategic Staffing Solutions (S3), who announced plans to expand its operations in the Fisher Building in downtown Detroit.

Barry Asin, President of Strategic Industry Analysts, said S3 has played a crucial role during the COVID-19 pandemic by finding solid jobs for qualified professionals in the IT world. "There's an important role for the staffing industry as being a bridge between... school-based education and the skills people need in the workforce," Asin said on the radio program.