The Toro Company was proud to be the official provider of utility vehicles for the 2011 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade®. Toro will join SEGA’s® Sonic The Hedgehog, Paul Frank’s ® Julius The Monkey, as well as other returning balloons for the 85th annual parade in New York City. The Parade takes place on Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, November 24, from 9:00 a.m. to noon (EST), and will attract more than 3.5 million spectators and over 50 million television viewers.
Storr Tractor Company, a Toro distributor based in Branchburg, N.J., will provide 45 Toro® Workman® MD Series utility vehicles for use during the annual Parade. The fleet will help guide the balloons down the 2.5 mile parade route, demonstrating the products’ exceptional stability and traction.
“We are thrilled to support the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade,” said Mary Lou Des Champs, president and CEO of Storr Tractor Company. “It is special to be part of this historic Parade.” Storr Tractor Company has been providing Toro turf maintenance equipment to the people and businesses of Long Island, and other areas of New York and New Jersey, since 1968.
The balloons are anchored to Toro Workman utility vehicles and flown under the direction of pilots and captains. “Storr has provided Workman vehicles to guide the balloons in the Parade and transport people for nine years,” said Ken Indyk, sales director of commercial equipment at Storr Tractor Company. “There is an incredible amount of teamwork and coordination that takes place to navigate these amazing balloons.” The Workman utility vehicles provide excellent maneuverability to help lead the balloons down the route.
“The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade officially marks the start of the holiday season, a tradition that dates back to 1924,” said John Piper, vice president of Macy’s Parade Studio. When asked about the Toro equipment provided by Storr Tractor Company, Piper said, “We are glad to have all those Toro vehicles working in the Parade. They are reliable and we can count on them to contribute to a successful Parade.”
In addition to the flying balloons, the Macy’s parade will also include Balloonicles — self-powered balloon vehicles designed around a Toro Workman as the base — the Energizer Bunny®, the Kool-Aid® Man, the new Aflac Duck, and the Macy’s Christmas Ornaments. On the day of the Parade, Storr Tractor will provide 42 Toro Workman MDX gas-powered utility vehicles and four Toro Workman MDE electric-powered utility vehicles, along with road technicians to support the vehicle fleet.
The new Toro Workman MD, MDX and MDE utility vehicles with SRQ™ – Superior Ride Quality – combine a coil-over-shock absorber suspension design with an Active In Frame™ twister joint. These features deliver greater operator comfort, improved productivity and efficiency gains, increased safety, and reduced job fatigue.
The Toro Company was proud to be the official provider of utility vehicles for the 2011 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.