Oklahoma Well-Represented In Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade

Native Oklahoma stars and talented students brought holiday cheer to the Big Apple straight from the Plains on Thanksgiving Day.

One of the nation's favorite traditions is the annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade through the heart of New York City.

Checotah native Carrie Underwood was there promoting her stint in an upcoming live TV special, a remake of the classic "The Sound of Music." Broken Arrow native Kristin Chenoweth, the Union High School marching band and the Tahlequah-based Cherokee National Youth Choir also were a part of the parade seen by millions.

New York's annual Thanksgiving Day parade kicked off with cheers -- and with 16 giant balloons soaring in the wind.

"We've been walking around in the rain, watching them blow up the balloons, hoping these things would fly," Chenoweth said. "I was so amazed."

High winds generated by this week's winter storm threatened to ground the helium balloons. Police cleared them to fly through the city streets, but at lower levels than usual.

This year's parade featured four new balloons -- Snoopy and Woodstock, Spongebob Squarepants, Adventure Time with Finn and Jake, and Toothless from "How to Train Your Dragon" -- along with the usual hundreds of clowns, floats, dozens of smaller balloons and celebrities.

"I was hoping the balloons would fly- because again- people put so much time and effort into that," New Yorker Marlie Hall said.

An estimated 3.5 million people lined the parade route despite the frigid temperatures to kick off the holiday season.

"It's a lot of a sense of family, we like to celebrate together and cheer together," spectator Hannah Weisman said.

The 8,000 people who marched in the parade were extra thankful this year.

Members of the Union band performed outside of Macy's as one of 11 bands to march in the famous parade, and the 28-member Cherokee National Youth Choir serenaded the millions who watched.

It's the second time the choir has been invited to the parade. They also participated in 2007.