As His Relatives Roast, Tom Turkey Shivers At
the Front of a Parade
Lydia Polgreen
The New York Times
November 29, 2002
Tom Turkey regained his place at the head of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade
yesterday after being usurped last year by Lady Liberty. The orange windsocks
along the route drooped as giant balloons made their way to Herald Square. And
it was cold, but at least it was not raining.
Hundreds of thousands of people lined sidewalks in the cold along Central
Park West and Broadway. Others watched the spectacle from apartments or office
buildings. And to everyone's satisfaction, the parade was just as it should have
been, filled with frivolity and fun.
There were also moments that combined high drama and deep disappointment, as
when 14-year-old Kristin Birch, standing just south of Times Square, screamed
"I love you, Justin," and madly waved a homemade sign bearing the same
words. She was with her family from South Windsor, Conn., hoping to catch the
attention of Justin Guarini, the golden-haired heartthrob who was
runner-up in the reality show "American Idol." He did not look her
way, however, as his float passed by.
"I love him so much," she said softly to no one in particular, once
Mr. Guarini had passed and all hope that he might look back was lost.