Air traffic control
While most people are watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade on TV tomorrow, two teachers from the Moniteau School District will be seeing it from a different vantage point.
Kimberley McBryar and Stefanie Maccaglia, both teachers at Dassa McKinney Elementary School, will work as balloon handlers in the 82nd annual event.
The women were chosen as handlers on the green Macy's "Believe" star, which they estimate will require a crew of 10 to 12. Some of the larger balloons, which can measure five stories tall, require 70 to 80 handlers, they said.
"We consider this our entry level balloon position: You know, start small believe big," said McBryar, 32, of Buffalo Township, who teaches fifth grade.
"We hope to achieve bigger and better balloons in the future."
The women were chosen as crew members in mid-October, after McBryar began an online search on New York City, since the pair had talked about visiting there for Thanksgiving.
"As we were planning this I discovered that my birthday falls on Thanksgiving this year. It's kind of full circle for me because I was born on Thanksgiving. So we just thought this was going to be the perfect trip."
Engaging in what the women describe as their typical "tumbling thoughts," they began conversations about going to the parade, which led to fantasies about being in it. So McBryar sent a letter to Macy's, describing herself and Maccaglia and asking how to apply for the parade's volunteer jobs.
"We got an application about two weeks later. Macy's had overnighted it to me. We filled it out. - I overnighted it back to them — and here we are," McBryar said.
The women later learned only Macy's employees or people they sponsor can be handlers, however they never learned who sponsored them or whether it is common for people to be chosen so easily.
Part of the Macy's response packet included a list of training sessions for parade workers, most of which had already occurred. Of the last two sessions, one was happening about the time their response arrived. The final was Balloonfest, held Nov. 8 in the city.
"They send you a packet with a video to watch in case you can't make it to practice," Maccaglia said. "Because, believe it or not, practice is not mandatory."
The women arrived for Balloonfest at 7:45 a.m. in Times Square, then took a train to Flushing Meadows in Queens, where they practiced from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Both said handling the balloons was harder than expected.
"At any given point on the parade route, you're holding between 6 and 20 pounds of tension," said Maccaglia, 26, of Center Township, a third-grade teacher."You have to keep just the right amount of rope. You don't want too much slack or to be too tight."McBryar said another skill is to maintain distance from other handlers, which are led by a balloon pilot in the front, a co-pilot in the rear and captains on either side. During practice, the balloons were tethered to vehicles."The pilot's job is to make sure the height of the balloon is correct, and the speed — and that it's floating square. That can be tough, too.""We're also responsible for helping to deflate the balloon and roll it up for storage and cleaning," Maccaglia added, explaining Buzz Lightyear — one of this year's new additions — eventually must fit a container the size of a laundry basket.The women said a Horton the Elephant is the official balloon this year, coinciding with the release of the movie "Horton Hears a Who." To mark the 50th anniversary of the Smurfs, a Smurf balloon also was added.The women will arrive in New York Wednesday night, in time to visit Central Park, where the balloons will be inflated.On parade day, the balloon handlers will assemble at a downtown hotel at 6 a.m. for the 2Z\x mile parade, which begins at 9 a.m.There, they will receive their costumes before being bused to their balloon site.The costumes usually consist of a jumpsuit, hat and gloves that blend with the balloons instead of drawing attention to handlers."They do tell you to be prepared for a camera shot," McBryar said. "To look like you're having fun — but don't ham it up."The women say they hope this year's "Believe" theme will help inspire their students to believe in themselves and pursue their dreams."We want them to always think they can do anything, to believe," Maccaglia said.Hoping to see their teacher on TV, Maccaglia said her students asked her to wear something they might recognize."I had to explain to them there's a very strict costume code. You can't deviate from it at all. All I can do is smile for you.""I think everybody in the Moniteau School District will be watching the parade for that Macy's "Believe" star and the two most smiling handlers in the parade," she added."There's a very good chance that nobody will ever see us, but we will be there," McBryar said.The parade will be televised on NBC starting at 9 a.m.
