Mount Rushmore float will miss Thanksgiving Day parade

RAPID CITY, S.D. (KOTA) - South Dakota’s Mount Rushmore parade float will stay parked during this year’s Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, sidelined by a marching band.

For the last 12 years, South Dakota’s Mount Rushmore Float has cruised in the New York Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. But this coming holiday, the state will be represented by the South Dakota State University’s Pride of the Dakotas Marching Band.

The Department of Tourism is providing a $50,000 marketing grant to help the band pay for the trip.

“Their performance in the parade will garner millions of viewers. It’s a wonderful marketing opportunity that once again allows South Dakota to be in the national spotlight on Thanksgiving Day,” said Jim Hagen, secretary of the South Dakota Department of Tourism.

The Mount Rushmore float has also made appearances in the Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena, Calif.