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Chinese-Themed Limo, Rozzi's Fireworks Highlight Parade

Oriental Wok's Facebook page
Look for this 40' limo in the Findlay Market Opening Day Parade.

Oriental Wok's 40 foot limo is one of the newest entries in this year's Findlay Market Opening Day Parade. It caught the attention of parade organizer Debbie Gannaway of Gramma Debbie's Kitchen. "They have the Chinese Music Society joining them so there will be dancers in dragon costumes." Not to mention the banging drums.

There are 191 entries, down from 210 last year, according to Gannaway. "Well, we were trying to get it down to 175 but some people just came up with some really good stuff so we let them in."

Credit Ann Thompson / WVXU
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WVXU

Rozzi's Fireworks will lead off the parade and set off fireworks at some of the intersections as the parade makes it way down Race Street and across Fifth.

Lou Piniella, the manager of the 1990  Cincinnati Reds World Series team, is the parade's grand marshal.

Kids are a big part of the 97th annual Findlay Market Opening Day Parade. Gannaway says they will be on unicycles, jumping rope and in themed costumes.

Organizing this year's parade and many others, Gannaway can see why this day is special. "Many, many people who may not care about baseball, they get excited because of the parade. Maybe they don't care about the parade but they get excited about baseball." She says she gets a kick out of all the excuses people make up to miss work on Opening Day, "like eating too much goetta."

The parade starts at noon and will follow this route:

  • South on Race at Findlay Market and then east onto Fifth Street
  • The parade continues along Fifth Street past Fountain Square and concludes at Fifth and Sycamore, just past the Taft Theater
Ann Thompson has decades of journalism experience in the Greater Cincinnati market and brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to her reporting.