But by the time Hunter was old enough, Ford Field had opened downtown and it became a one-stop shop for family fun. Rankin went to Lions games at the old suburban Pontiac Silverdome with his father on Thanksgiving.
The parade, the S3 Turkey Trot and the Lions game have separate histories and traditions, but together, they combine for an iconic holiday gathering and sponsorship synergies. That’s the route of America’s Thanksgiving Parade presented by Gardner White, which draws hundreds of thousands of onlookers and conveniently ends a few blocks from Ford Field.Ĭombined with an affiliated road race that morning, it’s the biggest gathering annually in Detroit.
Not long after dawn, Brian and his son Hunter traditionally head downtown, park in a stadium lot and then make a short walk to Woodward Avenue. For longtime Detroit Lions season-ticket holder Brian Keith Rankin, Thanksgiving Day football starts early – many hours before the Lions kick off at 12:30 p.m.
