New Rochelle's Thanksgiving Parade Is Saturday

The annual Valenti/New Rochelle Thanksgiving Parade will kick off the holiday season Saturday.

The parade begins at 10 a.m. on North Avenue at Eastchester Road, proceeding down North to Main Street, and then right on Main to Maple Avenue.   

The City advises that there will be temporary street closures and detours along the entire parade route and in the surrounding area, so travel should be planned accordingly, and that cars parked illegally on the route will be towed.  

In addition, the Maple Avenue parking lot will be inaccessible from 10 a.m. to noon. 

Besides the Jolly Old Elf himself, one featured participant will the residents of Willow Towers, which is part of the United Hebrew complex on Pelham Road.

They are partnering with New Rochelle Girl Scout Troop No. 2029 who will be decorating their bus and will be marching in front of it, as the residents waive from the windows while sipping cocoa or coffee and eating Dunkin Donuts.

Before the parade, from 8 a.m. to 9:30 a.m., the New Rochelle Fund for Educational Excellence Pancake Breakfast will be held in the new wing cafeteria at New Rochelle High School. For $5, which helps offset costs and supports the Fund's programs, you can stoke up on pancakes and a lot of other breakfast staples, before heading out to watch the parade.

The parade is organized by the New Rochelle Chamber of Commerce, with assistance from the city's Department of Parks & Recreation and financial support from John and Charles Valenti.