Balloons bring air cheer
Attendees’ spirits soar like floats
THE WORK of many became the pleasure of multitudes as millions of people marveled Thursday at soaring balloons and starstudded floats in the annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. This year’s new balloons included the lovable Olaf from the animated film “Frozen,” which had kids giggling and shrieking with delight. But classic characters still proved popular — including a giant Charlie Brown struggling to untangle a kite. As the Peanuts character made its way down Central Park West, the crowd chanted, “Charlie Brown! Charlie Brown!” For Nicholas Bellucci, 11, of Long Island, a veteran of the annual parade, the moment was a highlight. “Charlie Brown’s (my favorite) because everybody likes to chant his name,” he said. The celebration also drew novices, like Ryan Lingor, 36, a doctor who lives on the Upper East Side. “It’s my first time here for the Thanksgiving Day Parade. I really wanted to see the balloons and all the floats and all the people out here,” he said. Teresa Lopez, 29, an ultrasound technician from the Bronx, even brought her pooch, Bella, along for extravaganza. “She’s fascinated by the balloons,” Lopez said. “We’re just taking it all in right now — this is our first time.” Others traveled from more far-flung locales to experience the fanfare, including Victoria Haynes and her 8-year-old daughter, Ally, who came from Memphis, Tenn.. “Wonderful. It’s so exciting! I never thought I would be able to come,” Haynes told the Daily News. “It’s great. I’ve never been to New York before. I love it,” little Ally said. “I think what I like the most was Hello Kitty riding in her plane. I’m really excited about SpongeBob!” Mike Hines, 31, came from Massachusetts to see the parade with his family. They stationed themselves on Sixth Ave. and W. 56 St. at 6:30 a.m. to get a prime spot, despite the temperature being in the 30s. “It’s cold,” he said. “We never come here — I watch football.” His wife, Laci Hines, was excited to see Jimmy Fallon, who rode aboard a guitar-themed float with his show’s house band, The Roots. “He just waved, but I love him!” Hines said. The parade also featured New York’s Hometown Newspaper — the Daily News’ Big Apple-themed float was graced by singer-songwriter BeBe Rexha, who was born in Brooklyn and raised in Staten Island and belted out her hit “Meant to Be.” Revelers dressed up as the Statue of Liberty and yellow taxi cabs danced alongside. And there were plenty of marching bands — including the Marching 110 from Ohio University. “It was awesome,” Brandon Cassill, 22, who’s in the drum line, said. “It was amazing. A lot of fun to be there with everybody — be on TV, getting to be there for all the football fans and people at home who can’t be with us.” Neither the cold nor the specter of terror diminished the crowds. The NYPD had a visible presence along the route for the parade, which comes less than a month after a deranged terrorist drove a rented truck down the bike path along West St. on Oct. 31 and killed eight innocent people. There was no cross-town traffic allowed along the route, and the department deployed sand trucks and other measures to protect marchers and spectators from the threat of vehicle attacks. Sharpshooters dotted rooftops and Mayor de Blasio and Police Commissioner James O’Neill encouraged spectators to say something if they saw something. In his Thanksgiving message to the police department, O’Neill thanked the force for spending their holiday keeping others safe, particularly the thousands deployed at the parade. “Policing is a unique profession and you carry out your duties uniquely well — every day of the year. I know the sacrifices you make, including being away from your own families on holidays like this,” he wrote.