For 25 years, Chris and Kim Casteel escorted VIPs along the parade route during America’s Thanksgiving Parade along Woodward in downtown Detroit.
While walking alongside their VIPs last year, the Casteels took note of how much the Distinguished Clown Corps members walking right behind them were enjoying themselves, and decided they wanted to see what all the fun was about.
So when the parade steps off Nov. 28, the Casteels will be among more than 20 brand new parade clowns.
“Last year … those (clowns) were keeping things exciting the whole way through,” Chris Casteel recalled. “We ended up meeting up at the DIA and we thought, “these clowns are having way too much fun. We need to see what’s going on here.”
The Distinguished Clowns have been one of the parade’s most popular traditions for more than four decades. Hundreds of clown wannabes willingly pay for the privilege – it is, after all, a fundraiser – and stroll the parade route, handing out beads, smiles and handshakes all along the route.
Tony Michaels, the president and CEO of The Parade Company, that last year’s parade drew 180 clowns. The parade’s highest total, he said, was 200 – “That’s our maximum,” Michael said – and some 190 clowns are expected to walk this year.
“This year we already have 20 brand new clowns, which is amazing,” Michaels told an enthusiastic crowd at a reception honoring the Distinguished Clown Corps and acting as a kickoff to the Thanksgiving season.
Matt Cullen understands the importance of the clowns and the place they hold in parade lore. Cullen, the chairman of JACK Entertainment, a former president of Rock Ventures and the chairman of the Detroit Riverfront Conservancy, has been a Distinguished Clown for 27 years.
“(The parade) started off as a family tradition, and over a period of years I thought it would be fun to be in the parade and be a clown,” Cullen said. “After 27 years, it’s really a key part of our family tradition.”
Cullen said there’s “nothing better than parade morning.”
“Having the kids want their beads, the parents want their kids to have a picture (with the clowns), everyone’s having a great time,” he said. “It’s a part of the spirit of the parade. We get to interact with the kids, we have our beads to hand out, we greet everybody and make sure they’re having a good time.
“We’re there, good weather or bad weather … it creates a lot of fun,” he added. “It’s about getting up (Thanksgiving morning) and doing something to give back. It’s all of those things.”
Chris Casteel, an amputee who lost his left leg 37 years ago, has decided his costume (Kim hasn’t decided just yet what hers will be) will have a robot theme, because of that artificial leg.
“I wanted to expose that, so people could see someone walking along Woodward with an artificial leg,” said Chris Casteel, who with his wife owns A New Life, a prosthetics and orthotics practice in Detroit. “We’ve been longtime supporters of people with limb loss, and sometimes the best way to do that is to show people what can be done.
“We try to give (amputees) the knowledge, help them get back on their feet and do what they want to do,” he added. “If they want to be a clown, they can be a clown.”
While they’ve enjoyed the 25 years they been VIP escorts, the Casteels are really looking forward to this year’s event.
“We love being in the parade,” Kim Casteel said. “We love the high fives, we love giving away the beads, we love the smiles. We love everything about it.”
