State Street Thanksgiving parade
Another mainstream
participation efforts by Punjabi/Sikh
Americans.
 
  
Contact: Rajinder Singh Mago
630-440-7730 cell; 708-865-3031 work,
630-377-5893 home
PUNJABI CULTURAL SOCIETY OF
CHICAGO PARTICIPATES IN STATE STREET
THANKSGIVING PARADE
Chicago: Members of Punjabi
Cultural Society of Chicago braved the
freezing weather early in the morning on
November 25, 2004 the thanksgiving day to
participate in the 71st. annual State Street
Thanksgiving Parade in downtown Chicago. The
parade was organized by Chicago Festival
Association. <http://www.chicagofestivals.org/>
The parade stepped off at
8:30 am and ran till 11 am. and included a
variety of 100 contingents of school bands,
cultural organizations, performing groups,
and huge balloons.
ABC- TV channel 7 covered it
live from 9 am to 11 am. It will be
rebroadcast by ABC- 7 on December 12, 2004
at 12 noon to 2 pm. In addition to the live
coverage by ABC TV channel 7, other Chicago
TV Channels 2, 9 & 32 also covered the
parade and PCS participation at the parade.
WGN Channel 9 and Fox Channel 32 also gave
pre-parade coverage of the parade and the
PCS contingent.
“PCS made history by
participating in this parade first time this
year.,” said Mohinderjit Singh Saini an
organizer while talking to TV reporters,
“and we will definitely come next year with
a bigger contingent and an interesting
theme,” he added.
The theme of PCS contingent
was a Punjabi / Sikh wedding procession,
which included a bride groom, wedding party,
and Bhangra folk dancers, and Punjabi Dhol
players, all in traditional colorful
costumes.
The parade started on State
and Congress and marched North on State
Street and ended at Lake Street. There were
350,000 people on the street and .5 million
viewers of this parade according to the
organizer’s estimates.
"PCS was invited by Chicago
Festival Association after PCS's
participation at the Grand opening parade at
Millennium Park in Chicago," said Dr.
Harjinder Singh Khaira PCS past president.
“Overall it was a great
exposure of our community in the mainstream,
we need to do more,” said Onkar Singh Sangha
the PCS president..
A children’s bhangra team
“Shaan Punjab Dee” with Jaskaran Saini,
Anoop Takhar, Berinder Saini, Rai Barinder
Singh, and Sumeet Singh performed, and
Jaskirit Khaira and Jeevanjot Saini also
danced along with the bhangra troupe.
Maninder Singh and Sukhi
Basati played superb Punjabi Dhol to keep
the audiences involved and warmed up in the
cold.
Mohinderjit Singh Saini,
Harjinder Singh Khaira, Onkar Singh Sangha,
Thakar Singh Basati, Sunny Kular, and
Rajinder Singh Mago participated in the
parade and helped to coordinate the event.
PCS's next mainstream participation is at
"Festivals and Celebrations from Around the
World" at Navy Pier Chicago Children's
Museum on Dec. 16th, 2004 at 5-8 pm.
Punjabi Cultural Society of
Chicago will present Bhangra101 with live
Dhol (Punjabi Drum) by Maninder Singh, where
children will learn the world famous Punjabi
folk dance "Bhangra" with PCS presenters.
PCS / SAHO is also partnering in organizing
ASIAN AMERICAN COALITION: 22nd Annual Dinner
Banquet
Saturday, February 5, 2005, 5:30-10pm at
Hyatt @ O'Hare, Rosemont, IL.
This year hosted by: Vietnamese American
Community.
contact R.S. Mago (630) 377-5893, MJS Saini
(847) 705-0434, Dr. Hieu (773) 235-9838
Click here: Asian American Coalition of
Chicago, Dinner Banquet <http://www.pcschicago.org/aa/index.htm>
<http://www.pcschicago.org/aa/index.htm>
<http://www.aacc-illinois.org/>
Admission $70 per person (Dinner, parking,
banquet included)
Online ticketing click here <http://www.sulekha.com/events/evtdp.aspx?nma=&cid=57183> |
