Insurance firm becomes holiday parade sponsor

11/13/2003

Toledo's holiday parade has a new sponsor.

Marsh, a risk and insurance services firm, will sponsor the 2003 and 2004 parades, officials announced yesterday.

This year's parade will have more units than last year's did, said Larry Boyer, vice chairman of the CitiFest board of trustees.

Those include helium balloon characters, clowns, Santa Claus, marching bands, equestrian units, and the Zenobia Shriners.

The Marsh Holiday Parade is scheduled for 11 a.m. Nov. 29. It will begin at Jefferson Avenue and Summit Street, and will head north on Summit. The parade will turn west on Jackson Street, then south on Superior Street to Monroe Street.

Streets will close at 8 a.m. Parking won't be allowed inside the parade route.

For 15 years, Food Town sponsored the parade. Spartan Stores, Inc., Food Town's parent company, is donating its floats, Mr. Boyer said.

Marsh, a unit of Marsh & McLennan Cos., opened its Toledo office in 2000.