CANTON, OH (July 27, 2011) – The Pro Football Hall of Fame Enshrinement Festival department of the Canton Regional Chamber of Commerce Timken Grand Parade will be held on Saturday, Aug. 6, beginning at 8 a.m. The first grand parade was held in 1963, and it has become one of the largest of the 18 events, which are held over a nearly two-week period celebrating the induction of the newest Class of Enshrinees into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
This year's celebration will include many returning Hall of Famers who will ride in the parade, along with the 2011 Class of Enshrinees including Richard Dent, Marshall Faulk, Chris Hanburger, a representative for the late Les Richter, Ed Sabol, Deion Sanders and Shannon Sharpe. Parade spectators will be treated to the sights and sounds of 16 giant helium balloons, 20 marching and military bands, 11 floats, and 24 specialty units, as well as antique vehicles, animal units, and much, much more.
The growth of the Pro Football Hall of Fame Enshrinement Festival over the years is the result of extraordinary support from entities such as The Timken Company, which this year marks its sixth consecutive year as the main sponsor of the parade.
Specialty units sure to thrill the spectators include the giant walking flag, Ohio Purple Peddlers, South Shore Drill Team, Magical Train and Al Kaf Youth Group.
The Timken Grand Parade will enjoy a wide television viewing audience on Fox Sports Net Ohio, available to almost six million households saturating Ohio and reaching into portions of West Virginia, Kentucky, Illinois, Indiana, Pennsylvania and New York. It will be broadcast on Sunday, Aug. 14, from approximately 4 to 6 p.m. (immediately following the Cincinnati Reds post-game show), and will re-air on Monday, Aug. 15, from approximately 8:30 to 10:30 p.m. (unless there is a Reds make-up game due to previous weather cancellation).
The Timken Grand Parade can also be seen on Aug. 13 at 8 p.m. on Time Warner Cable Channel 989, WIVM Channel 39, and Massillon Cable Channel 128. Viewers can also enjoy the parade on Time Warner Cable – Local On-Demand channel 411 beginning Sept. 15.
Dan Dierdorf, Canton native and 1996 inductee into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, will bring his extensive knowledge of the game to the broadcast booth for the 13th consecutive year, serving as commentator along with Dionne Miller, a free lance host/reporter with FSNO, mainly as a sideline reporter for the high school football game of the week and remote host for “Buckeye State Tailgate.” Responsible for man-on-the-street interviews with the 2011 Class of Enshrinees and many returning Hall of Famers will be Miller’s husband, Ray Crawford, who for the past three years has been an anchor and reporter for FSNO, mainly for Blue Jackets hockey and Xavier men’s college basketball and high school football.
In order to maintain safety and assure the enjoyment of participants, the following shall apply and will be strictly enforced by parade marshals and safety officials:
- • Spectators are absolutely prohibited from coming onto the street and/or approaching any of the units for photographs, autographs or any other reason.
- • Likewise, parade participants are prohibited from approaching spectators and/or throwing anything into the crowd.
- • The Enshrinement Festival "Policy on Politics" prohibits distribution of political information and/or materials within the event boundaries.
- • All vendors (even if licensed by the City, County and/or State) are prohibited from selling on the parade route; any vendor sales or solicitation for sales must occur outside of the event boundaries/barricades.
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