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BOC HELPS MACY’S PUMP-UP THANKSGIVING
This is the 11th consecutive year that BOC has been the sole provider of helium to inflate the balloons that soar over the streets of New York City in celebration of America's roots. This is Macy's 79th Annual Parade. Dave Sterrett, helium account manager, BOC, says, "BOC and Macy's have had a very successful partnership. We are fortunate to be able to work with such a recognized institution and to help improve the Parade year after year for everyone's enjoyment. We look forward to working together for many more years." Without the 400,000 cubic feet of helium that is trucked to New York from Otis, Kan, enough to fill 500,000, 12-inch party balloons, the giant SpongeBob SquarePants(TM) and Big Bird Parade balloons would not stand tall to capture the spirit of the holiday. This year, 14 giant helium balloons, 37 intermediate and novelty-sized balloons, 27 fabulous floats, 10 marching bands, one thousand clowns and scores of large groups will make the annual 2.5 mile trek down the streets of New York City on Parade day. With over 50 million viewers across the country and more than 2.5 million spectators that line up along the streets of New York City each year, the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade is a national icon that has grown into a world-famous holiday event that marks the official start of the holiday season. "Helium is the element that makes our signature giant character balloons come to life each and every year," said Robin Hall, executive producer of Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. "BOC truly understands our specific and sometimes esoteric needs, and perhaps, most importantly, they are at 110 percent on the reliability scale." Helium's Journey Crude helium is transported by pipeline from its sources in Kansas and Texas, to BOC's helium production facility in Otis, Kansas. After the helium is purified and liquefied, it is filled into 11,000-gallon tankers and trucked across the country to a BOC plant in Middlesex, New Jersey. From there, liquid helium is run through a vaporizer and compressed into high-pressure tube trailers a day or two before the Parade. The shiny white tube trailers glisten as they travel from central New Jersey to New York City. First class is the only way to travel for this noble gas. On the day before the Parade, BOC and Macy's staff assemble near the Museum of Natural History in Manhattan, where workers begin inflating the balloons using gas filling apparatus that BOC has customized for the Macy's Parade. Early Thanksgiving morning, the balloons are topped off with helium and poised for the Parade.
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