J.L. Hudson's Santa Claus Parade

[Meddle]

Or was it called the Thanksgiving Day Parade? Either way, we were up early. Got bundled up in clothes equal to our body weight looking like miniatures of the Michelin Man or the Pillsbury Dougboy. Loaded in the car with thermos jugs full of hot chocolate, chairs and blankets. Foud a place to park and got settled into whatever good spot we could find by about 7AM even though the parade was two hours away. Tried to get near Hudson's if we could. Spent some time checking out the store windows and displays.

Crowds continued to gather and squeeze their way in. No shoving. No cussing or fighting. Ended up elbow to elbow from curb to building for several blocks up Woodward.

Floats were decorated to the theme, not for any causes or functions. Bands actually marched instead of shucking and jiving. You could recognize the music and sing along.

Finally the old geezer got there and waddled up onto the balcony or stage or whatever it was in front of Hudson's and did his thing.

Then we made a beeline for the car and tried to hot foot it out of town and beat the traffic.

In the following days, we'd hit Hudson's again and spend all day on the 12th floor [[I think) in the Christmas village while the parents shopped.

[cman710]

The WSU Virtual Motor Cities collection has this shot, credited as from the [[probably early) 1980s of the Thanksgiving Parade.

And here is a shot of Good 'Ole Saint Nick.

[EMG]

I never saw the parade in person but my mom did take me to the Downtown Hudson's on a couple of occasions in the '70s - and I do remember the toy department on the 12th floor. I also remember the Mezzanine level [[I'd never heard of such a thing before) and also the elevator operators and the glass doors on the elevators. Then the 11th floor had pianos for sale, but unfortunately my mother seemed to spend an inordinate amount of time on the 7th floor [[women's dresses - sigh!)

Still, for someone whose Hudsons experience was otherwise limited to the Eastland store, the downtown visit was an interesting experience. I describe it today to my wife [[who grew up well north of Detroit and never got to see it) and only wish it had still been around for me to take her to so she could have seen for herself.

[Gistok]

The J.L. Hudson's Thanksgiving Day Parade has undergone some name changes over the years [[are they still called "America's Parade"?), but they recently celebrated their 3/4 century mark [[founded in 1926, but they skipped a few WWII years).

And of course the route has changed along Woodward several times in the last dozen years, with Santa ending up at different locations... but no more stopping at the [[now gone) Hudson's store.

[Ray1936]

Usually went to the parade, and then marched in it when I was in the Mackenzie HS band. That was fun. Cold as the dickens, and all the hot chocolate you could drink at the end of the march. We had a precussion guy named Chuck Robinette who was playing the cymbals one year. Caught his foot in the streetcar tracks and went down like a ton of bricks, cymbals crashing and rolling down Woodward. That must have been 1952 or 53, and I can see it like it was yesterday.

[DetroitDad]

What was the rest of lower Woodward like? Was Hudson's really that amazing?

I wish I could bring good retail and entertainment back to Woodward.

[EastsideAl]

Thanksgiving was always my favorite holiday of the year as a kid. It was so action packed! We always went down to the Thanksgiving parade very early in the morning. I remember my grandfather setting up a stepladders with boards between them for us kids to sit on, and bringing along the hot chocolate [[and something a little stronger for the adults). We generally set up right around Mack Ave. & Woodward. After Santa went by [[usually played by Rube Weiss) and the parade was over my parents and I would grab a quick bite, usually at Chung's or Golden Dragon on Cass, and it was on to Tiger Stadium for the Lions game.

After the game we would arrive at my grandmother's house over in the Jefferson-Chalmers area in time for dinner. Grandma had been cooking since grandpa got up to take us all to the parade, and everything was hot and ready to go. There was lots of eating and drinking and talking going on, but we couldn't hang around too late, because grandma had her biggest day of the year the next day. She worked at Hudson's and then, as now, the Friday after Thanksgiving was a huge shopping day.

[EastsideAl]

What was the rest of lower Woodward like? Was Hudson's really that amazing?

Lower Woodward was all stores, even when I was a kid in the late '60s and early '70s, with Grinnel's, Himelhoch's, Wright-Kay, Meyer's, B. Siegel, Hughes Hatcher, Winkleman's, Sander's. Kresge's, Woolworth, and many others [[although by then the decline had already begun). JL Hudson's was the second largest department store in the country after Macy's Herald Square store in Manhattan, with about 13 floors of shopping space. They carried everything from food to appliances to books to toys. Go to the Herald Square area in NYC or the Loop in Chicago and you will get the idea of what that part of downtown was once like.

[reddog289]

I can only remember going to the parade once. And that was 25 yrs ago. I got to watch from the Vernors building and got to drink all the Vernors I wanted.
To go I had to help my cousin deliver his 5 paper routes, That was a busy weekend for me as my Mom married my Step Dad.All these years and I can remember going to watch the parade, Yet I don't know my folks anniversary date. It will always be the Saturday after Thanksgiving.
I for one miss Hudsons and their downtown store.Santaland was the greatest thrill as a kid.

[Meddle]

What was the rest of lower Woodward like? Was Hudson's really that amazing?

We'd go to Northland most of the time or Ward's and Federal's at Grand River & Greenfield or Sear's at Grand River & Oakman. But we'd make the trip downtown too. It was like a big outdoor mall and always crowded, but you could walk around with your packages without worrying.

There were no decorations before Thanksgiving, but the employees must have stayed up all night the Wednesday before since everything was ready Thanksgiving morning. Hudson's windows along Woodward all had holiday or toy displays that were like early versions of animatronics. Something was always moving even if it was just a train around a tree. Santas and reindeer were in some, singing snowmen were in others or maybe carolers. You just stood there for a few minutes and watched.

I think they still had delivery service then too. If you had too much to carry, you shopped and dropped everything off for a Hudson's truck to deliver it to your house. Or if you had to have clothes altered, they had tailors on site to measure and do the work.

There were quite a few places to eat lunch or get a snack because you'd make a whole day of it. I know Hudson's had a restaurant, but I think they had a smaller lunch counter too.

DSR busses were everywhere and you could get a ride a few blocks up for almost nothing, maybe a quarter I think.

[MikeM]

I have vague memories of the parade but I clearly remember waiting for him to fly in by helicopter to the Eastland parking lot.

[DetroitPlanner]

Herald Square Macy's reminded me more of Crowleys than Hudsons. Maybe is was the escalators. Carson's on State defintiesly had a Husdon-esque vibe about it, mostly because you had to walk through an alley to get from one side of the store to the other.

Sadly, State street is not really what it once was either. What I can recall about downtown shopping back in the 1970's and 1960's were elevators and escalators. The smaller stores would not have escalators and had small foot prints so you needed to use the elavators to get from floor to floor. This was especially true for parents dragging around several children. You don't see many multi-story stores in downtowns anymore, these seem to imitate the mall stores in size and layout now.

I can also remember that some of the larger mall stores would have more than one floor. Sometimes they would have a mezzanine or a basement. These would include stores like Woolworth, Kressge, Hughes and Hatcher.

[slick]

Thanksgiving day, head over to around the art institute to watch the parade, that was the start of the route. After the parade ended could get home in time to watch the end of it on TV. Do not remember any commercials during the parade like they do now. Curses.

Then some time before Christmas going to Hudsons 12th floor, all dressed up for the photo op. The escalator was packed and stood in line for a long time to get to see Santa. Kind of reminds you of the Santa scene in the Christmas Story movie.

Hudsons was great, but Crowleys across the street had an equally great display. I remember one year they had live penguins in a glass cage?

If my dad went we drove, otherwise it was the Grand Belt bus to Woodward to downtown. Dont forget your nickel for the transfer. Lunch was always in the basement counter in either Kresge or Woolworth. Had to stop at the dime store and buy some green army men.

[Elevator Fan]

DetroitPlanner:

Harrods in London is the closest thing nowadays to the Hudsons experience. The food halls, the endless departments, the restaurants, and yes, virtually the same kind of elevators.

[Gistok]

Lower Woodward was all stores, even when I was a kid in the late '60s and early '70s, with Grinnel's, Himelhoch's, Wright-Kay, Meyer's, B. Siegel, Hughes Hatcher, Winkleman's, Sander's. Kresge's, Woolworth, and many others [[although by then the decline had already begun)....

Interestingly enough even though the first floors of these stores along Woodward had stores in them, the upper floors of the buildings were already empty by the 1960s. I remember seeing the inside of the Baker's Shoe store on Woodward... the main floor were shoe sales... when you went up to the 2nd floor, it was a closed off virtually abandoned 2nd floor display area [[with dusty old counters and mirrors) that was used for storage. Above the 2nd floor was a virtual no-mans-land, with occasional pigeons flying down from the upper 5 floors. Only the basement and 1st floor of the store were heated.

[ALPOE]

HOW ABOUT THAT AMAZING CHRISTMAS CAROL, YOU REMEMBER HER ??? STARTING IN 1953 AS SANTAS HELPER

http://www.detroitkidshow.com/Maureen_Bailey.htm

[mtm49269]

Of course, Christmas Carol - she of the "patent leather hair".

We never made it for the parade though Dad marched in it several times with the DFD band. But I always made sure to watch it all on TV. Even now, when I'm zipping around trying to get ready for dinner, I have it on in the background and watch as much as I can. And I've learned to NOT press the linens while watching.

Back then, the Christmas season didn't start until the parade and Santa's arrival at Hudson's: no carols, no decorations, not even starting to think about Christmas lists. Unfortunately now it starts the day after Halloween though stores were already stocking for Christmas weeks ago.

The Santa at the downtown Hudson's was the only REAL one. The others at the malls were just elves helping out because he couldn't be everywhere at once. And he could be pretty darn scary if/when he wanted to!

[reddog289]

I really need to get my scanner working, That picture of Santa,Looks amazingly like one of his "elves" that worked at the Westland Mall in the 70's.

[Ed Golick]

I really need to get my scanner working, That picture of Santa,Looks amazingly like one of his "elves" that worked at the Westland Mall in the 70's.

The Santa in that picture is probably Rube Weiss.

[DetroitDad]

Interestingly enough even though the first floors of these stores along Woodward had stores in them, the upper floors of the buildings were already empty by the 1960s. I remember seeing the inside of the Baker's Shoe store on Woodward... the main floor were shoe sales... when you went up to the 2nd floor, it was a closed off virtually abandoned 2nd floor display area [[with dusty old counters and mirrors) that was used for storage. Above the 2nd floor was a virtual no-mans-land, with occasional pigeons flying down from the upper 5 floors. Only the basement and 1st floor of the store were heated.

Very interesting Gistok. I have never been in any of the "smaller" vacant buildings and former department stores on Woodward, but from the street you can see through the windows, and some of them really look decrepit. They must be in horrible shape if they've been vacant since the 60's. It makes me wonder what the prospect of renovation is for some of them. Come to think of it, I remember them having to rip of the entire facade and basically gut what is now Merchant's Row, because they were so bad.

[DetroitDad]

Sigh...

[Lowell]

Bah Humbug.


Just kidding of course. I too have fond memories. My first holiday season visit to Hudson's was in the late sixties. The sidewalks were packed at all four corners of Grand River and Woodward such that they had to have cops to direct the foot traffic.

Being in a hurry and a bit of a noob, I cut across before getting the go ahead and then, out of the corner of my eye, caught a cop coming after me. I pretended I didn't see him, wove briskly through the throng and ducked in the front doors.

I whisked through the Isle of Beauty. [Anyone else remember that huge waft of perfume that would hit you when you entered from the front?] I shot up the escalator to the mezzanine and congratulated myself on my escape while browsing the books.

And I'll be damned if he didn't catch me! I was shocked; he appeared like magic behind me. I think he must of felt that I didn't run from him, just jaywalked. He gave me a lecture, looked at my samll town Wisconsin license, probably figured I wasn't long out of the pumpkin patch [half right] and then, in good holiday spirit, let me off.

[faygoredpop]

I have vague memories of the parade but I clearly remember waiting for him to fly in by helicopter to the Eastland parking lot.

MikeM,

Was this the type of copter Santa flew in that you remembered?

[EastsideAl]

I whisked through the Isle of Beauty. [Anyone else remember that huge waft of perfume that would hit you when you entered from the front?]

I sure do. My grandmother worked behind the counters there for 27 years.

[MikeM]

MikeM,

Was this the type of copter Santa flew in that you remembered?

No, it was more modern; mid-1960s vontage. And not custom painted like that one. If I come across a picture, I'll scan and post it.