Gratitude inspires the director of America's Hometown Thanksgiving Parade to give back.
Long before November arrives, Olly deMacedo ’82 has Thanksgiving on his mind. As the director of America’s Hometown Thanksgiving Celebration in Plymouth, deMacedo is responsible for conceptualizing, planning and organizing the annual parade that honors and celebrates periods of United States history.
“We start brainstorming in January, but I’m thinking about this parade all the time,” says deMacedo, who along with hundreds of others, volunteers his time to the effort. “The history behind each float and the materials and mechanics needed to create them—this is what I think about at night as I fall asleep.”
Taking place on the Saturday before Thanksgiving and attracting more than 150,000 spectators each year, the parade is broadcast on WCVB Channel 5 and airs on ABC affiliates across the country. DeMacedo narrates the parade on air, sharing the story behind each of the 20 handcrafted floats. Among his favorites is the Thanksgiving turkey that he made xx years ago. "I carved each of the feathers by hand," he recalls.
In five questions, deMacedo, who has worked in sales for Boston Sand and Gravel for more than three decades, shares what he loves best about the Hometown Celebration, explains why community is so important to him and recalls his first admissions interview at Stonehill.
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