Manitoba Hydro Grey Cup Parade November 18
Published on September 26, 2006 under Canadian Football League (CFL) News Release
Winnipeg MB - The 2006 Winnipeg Grey Cup Committee is pleased to announce plans for the Manitoba Hydro Grey Cup Parade:
Manitoba Grey Cup Parade
Saturday, November 18
Beginning 4:00pm on Portage Avenue at Langside Street
Ending 6:00pm at The Forks with a fireworks display
Presented by: Manitoba Hydro, JCI Winnipeg, Grey Cup Festival
The Manitoba Hydro Grey Cup Parade is sure to be a favourite for fans and families, celebrating the spirit of the Grey Cup and featuring entries from across Canada. The procession of dazzling displays, fantastic floats, and awesome entertainment will also include a special appearance by Santa Claus himself.
Donations will be accepted along the way by the Purolator Courier Tackle Hunger Program, who will be taking collections for Winnipeg Harvest.
The Manitoba Hydro Grey Cup Parade will be broadcast live across Canada on CBC Television from 4:00pm to 5:00pm (local Winnipeg time).
PARADE PARTNERS
The Manitoba Hydro Grey Cup Parade is a collaborative effort between Manitoba Hydro, the Grey Cup Festival (GCF) and JCI Winnipeg.
Manitoba Hydro is a provincial Crown Corporation providing electric energy to 510 000 customers throughout the province and natural gas service to 258 000 customers in various communities. The Corporation also exports electricity to various electric utilities through its participation in four wholesale markets in Canada and the mid-western United States.
Manitoba Hydro offers its customers a wide range of energy services, either directly or through its subsidiaries. In addition, the Corporation actively promotes energy conservation and savings through its many Power Smart* programs. (*Manitoba Hydro is a licensee of the Trademark and Official Mark.)
The governance of the Corporation is through The Manitoba Hydro-Electric Board, whose members are appointed by the Lieutenant-Governor in Council. Manitoba Hydro is well known for its employee volunteerism and support for community events in the province - with the Manitoba Hydro Grey Cup Parade one of their most exciting events this year.
"We are proud to continue our tradition of supporting a community parade," said Bob Brennan, President and CEO of Manitoba Hydro. "And we're very happy to have the opportunity to bring a parade to downtown Winnipeg. It's been one of Manitoba Hydro's signature events since we partnered with the Grey Cup Festival in 1998. This year we are especially pleased to partner with the Grey Cup Festival and JCI Winnipeg in hosting the Manitoba Hydro Grey Cup Parade. This is a wonderful way to kickoff the holiday season."
JCI Winnipeg (formerly known as the Winnipeg Jaycees) is part of a worldwide federation of young leaders and entrepreneurs, established in 1923 as the first chapter outside the United States. JCI chapters can now be found in most countries around the world, with over 100,000 members worldwide.
JCI Winnipeg is involved in many initiatives that better the community. One example of this is JCI Winnipeg's long history of staging Winnipeg's "Santa Claus Parade" - a Winnipeg institution tens of thousand of Winnipeggers young and old look forward to every fall. This year JCI Winnipeg is proud to partner with the Grey Cup 2006 Committee to stage this year's Grey Cup Parade. This parade promises to be a spectacle no one should miss.
"JCI Winnipeg is proud to be associated with this great community event. This parade is one example of what we are all about; young entrepreneurs giving back to the community," says Brian Davis, JCI Winnipeg Chapter Vice President.
Of course, all parade players have been brought together by the Grey Cup Festival. Kevin Walters, Managing Director of the Grey Cup Festival, is looking forward to this visually spectacular event:
"The Grey Cup parade is one of the most anticipated public events during Grey Cup weekend. Having partners like Manitoba Hydro and JCI Winnipeg - two organizations who have proudly been involved with past parades here in Winnipeg - will make it all the more exciting."
PROUD PARADE HISTORY
Winnipeg has a proud history of parades, with the annual "Santa Claus Parade" dating back to the early 1900's. It was originally owned and managed by Eaton's, and for many years was the most popular winter event in town. In the early 1970's the Winnipeg Jaycees took over the annual parade, and in 1987, began the custom of collecting donations and non-perishable food items along the route for the Christmas Cheer Board.
When the City of Winnipeg hosted their last Grey Cup in 1998, Manitoba Hydro worked with event organizers to bring a Grey Cup Parade to downtown Winnipeg. It proved so successful that Manitoba Hydro continued to sponsor an annual Power Smart Festival of Lights Parade from 1999 to 2003, featuring more than 60 floats and attracting more than 100,000 people each year to celebrate the arrival of the holiday season.
In 2004, the Winnipeg Jaycees and Manitoba Hydro teamed up for the very first time, co-sponsoring the Power Smart / Winnipeg Jaycees Santa Claus Parade - a spectacle of light, music and holiday spirit. This new and revitalized parade continued in 2005, furthering the excitement of holiday celebration.
Now, with the Grey Cup back in Winnipeg in 2006, the annual Grey Cup Parade adds another dimension to the long-standing festive tradition of parading on the streets of Winnipeg. This year, Manitoba Hydro, JCI Winnipeg, and the Grey Cup Festival will team up for the Manitoba Hydro Grey Cup Parade - sure to make it the most spectacular parade Winnipeg has ever seen!
BE PART OF THE PARADE!
Submissions are now being accepted for commercial floats, non-commercial floats, and walking/marching units. If you'd like to represent your company or organization at the Manitoba Hydro Grey Cup Parade, the deadline for applications is October 1, with confirmations by October 15.
Additional parade information and applications are available at
http://www.cflgreycup.ca/winnipeg/festival_events.php
The 2006 Grey Cup Festival gratefully acknowledges Premier Sponsors MLCC
Liquor Marts, Manitoba Hydro, Manitoba Public Insurance, CanWest Global
Communications Corp., Coors Light, Manitoba Lotteries Corporation,
Winnipeg Free Press, and Scotiabank; and Festival Sponsors Rogers, RONA,
Prairie Ford Dealers, Tim Hortons, MBNA Canada, Purolator, Gibson's
Finest Canadian Whisky, Canad Inns, Pepsi, Frito Lay, Frank's Red Hot,
Monsanto, Pfizer, Reebok, and Sony. Special thank you to the Province of
Manitoba and the City of Winnipeg for additional support.
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
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