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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Winds may ground N.Y. parade balloons


Peter Kagey works beneath the Energizer Bunny balloon Wednesday in preparation for today's parade  in New York. 
 (Associated Press / The Spokesman-Review)
Bryan Virasami Newsday

NEW YORK – Strong winds predicted for today threaten to force SpongeBob SquarePants, Scooby Doo, Pikachu and a dozen other popular balloon characters to sit out the 80th annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in Manhattan.

The forecast calls for winds to possibly surpass 23 mph, the threshold that Macy’s and city officials set as the top sustained wind speed before larger balloons are pulled out of the parade for safety reasons. In addition, if wind gusts reach 34 mph, the big balloons must bite the dust.

“Obviously, we’re very disappointed that the forecast isn’t looking good,” Macy’s spokeswoman Elina Kazan said Wednesday. Nevertheless, she said, workers were making all preparations and hoping for the best.

“We’re inflating our balloons,” she said, referring to the famed parade-eve filling of the balloons on the blocks surrounding the American Museum of Natural History. “We are planning to put on a great parade.”

The final decision on whether to fly the 13 giant balloons, including Big Bird, Dora the Explorer and Snoopy, won’t be made until this morning. Rain that began Wednesday night was expected to hang around throughout the parade – a real damper for the 3.5 million people expected to line Central Park West and Broadway.

Last year, after an M&M balloon struck a light pole that fell and injured two, officials devised the new safety plan that calls for a ban on larger balloons if wind strength is too high.