"We want to do the best family
events in metro Detroit," she says.
"It's all about magic and wonder.
We're more than just an entertain-
ment property. We have a responsi-
bility to the community to preserve
the parade for everyone. The parade
is a tradition that has to go on forev-
er.
Susie is so enthusiastic and pas-
sionate about The Parade Company,
you're tempted to grab a paintbrush
and start working on a float. She
proudly notes that none of the five
to 10 new floats each year are creat-
ed by a computer, but by working
artists, painters, metalsmiths and cos-
tume designers. Each fall, school
groups and organizations take tours
through Paradeland, watching the
creation of floats, which are built on
car and trailer chassis. Soon, Susie
will begin a $5.9 million campaign
for construction of a new Parade
Studio, next door to their current
location on Mt. Elliot and Mound.
Like Greenfield Village, it will be a
one-of-a-kind year-round destina-
tion.
"A miracle happens one morning
every Thanksgiving, when everyone
plays together with excitement," she
says. "It's about old-fashioned family
values."
Susie wasn't always a parade-a-
phile. After graduating from U-M,
she worked at W.B. Doner advertis-
ing agency, "where I learned how to
write," she says. She had three sons,
became a trade and technical writer,
and later wrote two best-selling
books with her friend Paula Linden
— Taking Care of M0117117V, and its
sequel, The Mommy Manager. After
volunteering her time for numerous
school auctions and events, she pur-
sued event planning as a career. "My
father said, 'You know, you could
make money at this,' " she recalls,
laughing. Finally, tired of debating
over the merits of purple or pink bal-
loons, she answered an ad in the
paper to help with Hob Nobble
Gobble, a black tie party held the
night before the parade to help sup-
port the parade. Before she knew it,
she was working full-time in
Paradeland.
"I was always creative," she notes.
"My passion is creativity, and here I
am able to work with some of the
most talented people, and to do so
many creative things every day.
Whatever is going on in your life,
when you enter Paradeland, it's
about being happy."
ECCO
115 West Maple
Birmingham, MI 48009
ph 248.646.1032
Think
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