TOLEDO, Ohio — Downtown Toledo opens the holiday season on Saturday, November 14, when the 39th Annual Blade Holiday Parade steps off at 10 a.m., bringing giant balloons, marching bands, floats and Santa’s first Toledo appearance of the season to the downtown streets, according to The Blade’s official parade page.
The parade begins at the corner of North Summit Street and Jefferson Avenue, then turns onto Jackson Boulevard, makes its way to Huron Street and finishes down Washington Street, The Blade says. Street closures along the route begin at 8 a.m. Saturday, two hours before step-off, so families heading downtown should plan to arrive and park before the barricades go up.
This year’s Grand Marshal is the Bay View Yacht Club, The Blade announced. The club’s members are also continuing their parade-day book tradition: the club says 2,280 books have been ordered for distribution along the parade route, a giveaway that has become one of the parade’s signature touches for children watching from the curb…