America on Parade facts for kids

America on Parade was a special parade that took the place of the famous Main Street Electrical Parade at Disneyland and the Magic Kingdom for a few years. It celebrated the United States Bicentennial, which was the 200th birthday of the United States in 1976. It also marked Disneyland's 20th anniversary and Magic Kingdom's 5th anniversary.

This parade was created by Bob Jani, who was in charge of entertainment at Disneyland. The unique floats were designed by Peter Larkin, a theater designer from New York. "America on Parade" first ran in the summer of 1975 and was planned to continue through 1977. While the Main Street Electrical Parade usually ran twice at night, "America on Parade" ran once in the afternoon and again just before the nightly fireworks show.

The parade traveled a long path at Disneyland, from It's a Small World all the way to Town Square at the start of Main Street, U.S.A.. At Magic Kingdom, it went from Liberty Square to Town Square. Some of the parade floats were very tall, which caused a challenge when they needed to return to their starting point. To get past low bridges and tunnels behind the scenes, the taller parts of the floats could telescope down or fold flat! This clever engineering was something the audience never saw.

The Music and Performers

The famous Sherman Brothers, who wrote many classic Disney songs, created a special song for the parade called "The Glorious Fourth". This song was a big part of the "America on Parade" soundtrack.

The parade also featured synchronized music that performers danced to. The dance routines were created by Disneyland choreographers Barnett Ricci and Marilyn Magness. Each performer wore costumes that matched their float. They also had huge heads on special supports, making the parade look like a big, fun carnival.

The parade's music was the first Disney project for Don Dorsey. He used synthesizers and old carousel organs to create the unique sound. Later, Dorsey came up with an idea for a computer system called "Mickey Track." This system would control the parade's music from 1980 onwards.

TV Special

In 1976, a TV show called "Walt Disney's America on Parade" aired. It showed highlights of the parade and was hosted by the famous comedian Red Skelton.

Famous Floats

The "America on Parade" featured many creative floats that celebrated different parts of American history and culture. Here are some of the memorable ones:

Historical Floats

Spirit of '76

This was the very first float! It featured Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, and Goofy on a drum next to a large eagle. Mickey held an American flag, while Donald played the flute and Goofy played a drum. They led the parade, setting a patriotic mood.

Columbus's Ship

This float looked like a pirate ship and represented the journey of Christopher Columbus in 1492. He was an Italian explorer who traveled across the ocean, discovering new lands.

The First Thanksgiving

This float showed a giant turkey puppet, celebrating the first Thanksgiving in 1621. This was when the Pilgrims shared a harvest feast with Native Americans.

Benjamin Franklin

This float featured Benjamin Franklin, an important American inventor and statesman. It showed him flying a kite, which he famously did in 1752 to learn about electricity.

Betsy Ross

This float honored Betsy Ross, who is said to have sewn the first American flag in Philadelphia in June 1776, at the request of George Washington.

Other Fun Floats

• Dunking Stall
• Square Dancing
• Giant Bell
• Giant Cannons
• Rowing Boat
• Riverboat
• Stagecoach
• Discovery of Gold
• Voting Rights
• Sunday Band Concert
• School Days
• Transportation
• Sports
• Sunday Picnic
• Modern Tech
• Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
• Television
• The Movie Industry
• Circus Comes to Town
• Hot Air Balloons
• Statue of Liberty and the Golden Eagle

See Also

• List of incidents at Disneyland Resort