Wrangling the world’s biggest Smokey Bear
Smokey Bear makes his way along the parade route with his group of 40 balloon handlers below. Alex Robertson is the tallest handler on the left. (Photo courtesy of Robin Robertson)
“Smokey, Smokey!”Tess McCarville and Alex Robertson revel hearing this chant for three hours as they slowly walk 2.5 miles, holding the ropes of a 16-foot long, 25-…
#MacysThanksgivingDayParade
Around the Forest Service: November 2023
WASHINGTON, DC—Working together makes a difference. In November, the agency celebrated partnerships of all kinds. We're restoring longleaf pine forests: The Forest Service, partners and America’s Longleaf Pine Restoration Initiative are working together to restore these forests, which are hotspots for biodiversity and provide habitat to endangered species.We're continuing to bring wildfire…
#CapitolChristmasTree, #MacysThanksgivingDayParade
Behind the balloon
Last week, Devante Lockamy found himself in Central Park during the early hours of Thanksgiving, teeming with a mix of excitement and nervous anticipation as he embarked on a unique Forest Service holiday tradition. Never in his life did he ever expect to hold the tether of a 51-foot-tall Smokey Bear balloon in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.…