Meet the Man Who's Created Magic for Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade for 47 Years and Counting
Among the 16 character balloons, 40 inflatables, 12 marching bands, 700 clowns and 10 performance groups, there's a man behind the scenes at the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade who is celebrating 47 years on the job.
John Cheney, 75, is a master carpenter who has helped to assemble floats for the iconic parade every year since 1976.
Or, as one of his colleagues told NBC, he's "a legend, an encyclopedia of knowledge, one of the hardest-working men I've ever met."
"He understands the big picture, but he also understands the details, and cares about every single detail," Will Coss, Macy's Branded Entertainment Vice President & Executive Producer, told NBC News reporter Joe Fryer of Cheney.
Known as an institution at the Macy's Parade Studio in Moonachie, N.J., Cheney works with more than 30 others to configure the floats, all from what his colleagues affectionately call "Cheney's Corner," in the facility that has 44-ft. ceilings to accommodate the larger entries in the parade.
Parts of past floats featuring Cheney's workmanship are on display in the warehouse, including last year's Cracker Barrel-sponsored beauty with its massive Victrola record player.
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While the parade is a Thanksgiving Day staple, artists, welders, carpenters and "balloonatics" work throughout the year on the big event.
One of Cheney's biggest masterpieces this year will be the towering lighthouse for the Slumberland movie float, according to NBC.
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When asked by Fryer about what he says to people who think he's supposed to be retired by now, Cheney had a ready response.
"That's what people say," Cheney said, adding, "I say maybe next year."
