Amid Heightened Security, Macy's Thanksgiving Parade Goes On

At this years Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, there will be four new balloons and six new floats, including a Charlie Brown Christmas float. Plus thousands of participants and spectators from all over the world. With warm weather expected, the New York Police Department said there could be a record turnout this year.

Among the 8,000 participants in the parade will be dancer Hunter Hatfield, 16, from Prosper, Texas. She's with the group Spirit of America and will be performing at the end of the parade, dancing with Santa Claus. She said since her group was selected last May, she's been preparing, and won't let post-Paris anxiety about terrorism ruin her big day.

"We here to dance and we're not going to let anyone take away the joy that is the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade and this opportunity," she said.

The city remains a top terror target, though officials say there are no specific threats. But this year the NYPD will deploy the new, 200-member Critical Response Command, in addition to the regular helicopters, bomb sniffing dogs and plain clothes officers. 

"Some of those officers would be equipped with the long guns, as we refer to them, rifles," Police Commissioner Bill Bratton said this week. "We'll have additional Hercules teams, those are the heavily-armed entities that will be around the area of the parade route."

Bratton said the show of force should "heighten the sense of security," but reminded parade-goers and New Yorkers, "don't be afraid, be aware, it's part of the new world we live in."

While checking out the Charlie Brown Christmas-themed windows at Macy's this week, Kim Collins, 55, from Oak Grove, Mo., said it's hard to not worry about safety following the recent Paris attacks. She said she's planning on attending the parade with her large family, but said if there's a terror alert or specific threat, they'll skip it.

"If it gets too scary, we'll watch from the hotel and see as much as we can see," she said. "I would hope people would honor the tradition of the Macy's Day parade and let it go on, but we know there's evil in the world, just praying that our family will be safe."