CANTON − There are plenty of parades around, but few can compete with the Canton Regional Chamber of Commerce’s Pro Football Hall of Fame Enshrinement Festival Grand Parade.
The Aug. 8 parade honoring the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s newest class of enshrinees will offer new sights and sounds as it does every year. But some things don’t change, namely the bigger-than-life spectacle of floats.
This year’s parade, presented by Certified Angus Beef, will feature about 100 units and 10 floats, including one commissioned by 2026 Hall of Famer Drew Brees, said Darla Brown, the chamber’s vice president of marketing and membership strategy.
“We’re a little lower this year, number-wise,” said Alexandria Webster, event planner for two years. “But we do have some new companies that have come in, so it will be different. I’ve seen some of the sketches, and they look pretty exciting.”
The newcomers, she said, include the Whole Latte Love Cafe in North Canton., and Kimble, which had a balloon in previous years.
“And then we have a few local nonprofits that are working together and they’re doing a community Christmas section, so we have two floats that will be a part of that,” Webster said.
Webster said seven organizations have opted for large balloons instead of floats, including “Obie,” the Massillon Tigers mascot.
The parade begins at 8 a.m. and will travel a 2.2-mile route downtown starting around Cleveland Avenue and Fifth Street SW.
Enshrinement Festival float process
Entering a float is a months-long process, Webster said.
Sketches are due mid-May, she said. Floats are transported to the Stark County Fairgrounds on Aug. 2.
“That’s when they start working on the final touches,” Webster said. “Everything is supposed to be ready by that Wednesday, and then float-judging is first thing Friday morning (Aug. 7).”
Categories include grand prize for best overall float, best use of color and best original concept.
Brown said there are no cash or prizes, just “bragging rights.”
This year’s judges are chamber board member Mark Wright, Hall of Famer Robert Brazile, and Sarah Cole, owner of Lift Up Balloons.
Creative Floats of Dover
Brown said that because float entries have to adhere to specific standards, many participants turn to professional builders.
“There’s a whole float manual for builders and sponsors that they need to pay attention to and make sure that they’re following rules,” she said. “Over time, we’ve seen less companies that want to build the floats themselves. Back in the day, there were a lot of companies that would assemble a team and build their own, and that’s where we saw a lot more floats in the parade.
“As time has gone on and companies don’t have that kind of time to devote to float-building, they come to us for assistance in that, so we partner with a float builder that is able to work directly with the sponsor to help bring their vision to life.”
Brown said the chamber works with Mark Aksterowicz, longtime co-owner of Creative Floats in Dover.
“The business was started with Ed Quillen back in the 1970s as Custom Floats,” Aksterowicz said. “I was a teacher at Indian Hills Christian School in New Philadelphia. He asked me to help in the summers. It was a perfect fit since I had summers off. My first float I drove was for Manor Care back in 1987, an orange and white float. Since then, I have driven 38 times in the parade.”
Aksterowicz said the company, which is co-owned by Bob Starkey, is building six floats for this year’s parade.
“We have had a high of 11 floats that we built for the parade,” he said. “Bob and I have averaged eight floats a year for 25 years. So, we have probably built close to 200 floats for this event. If we go back to the years working with Ed Quillen, it may be closer to 300. The sad thing is all the floats that we built with Ed are lost. We built the business up to where we were doing about 90 parades a year from Chicago to New York. We ran 35 float trailers out of the warehouse in Midvale, Ohio. We established the largest parade float company in Ohio.”
Aksterowicz said he and Starkey are in the process of transitioning the business to a new owner.
“We have a young guy, Richard Horne, that is taking over the business,” he said. “He has been with us for over 15 years building floats and driving in parades. He has been the driver of the 12th Man Float for the last 10 years. We feel that we are leaving this in good hands. Rest assured that we are not going away just stepping back and letting the young guns take over. We still design and build the floats. We will always be a part of Creative Floats. Being a part of this parade has been our highlight every year. We have truly been blessed to be a part of this for over 40 years. We get to do what a lot of people would love the opportunity to do.”
Webster said she enjoys the challenge of planning the event.
“I would say the best thing is seeing how excited everybody is parade morning,” she said. “All the kids and families on the route that have been camping out overnight and are just so excited.”
The biggest challenge, Webster said, is ensuring everything is in the right place at the right time.
“There’s a lot of moving pieces,” she said. “I have a big team of volunteers that it requires to even put it all on.”
Brown said Webster makes it look easy.
“A lot of people don’t realize the breadth of the logistics that go into planning a parade of this size. Lex makes it look easy wit all of the work that she and the committee put into making it all happen. I’ve been going to that parade since I didn’t know what a parade was, all the way up through now. Being here and seeing the other side of it, and seeing all of the tiny little details that go into making it come off perfect, it’s incredible.”
Reach Charita at 330-580-8313 or charita.goshay@cantonrep.com. On Twitter: @cgoshayREP
Grand Parade float awards
Here’s a look at which floats won awards over the last three years at the Enshrinement Festival Grand Parade:
2025 awards
Grand Prize (best overall): GiGi’s Playhouse (sponsored by ReliaRide) Chamber Award (best display of enthusiasm): 30th Anniversary Float (sponsored by Liberty HealthShare) Enshrinees’ Award (most effective use of color): Pro Football’s Ultimate Fans (sponsored by Akron Auto Auction) Mayor’s Award (best display of animation): Hilscher-Clarke Electric Co.Hall of Fame Board of Trustees Award (most original concept): Operation Flags of Freedom Float NFL Award (best use of flowers): Freedom Float (sponsored by Newcomer’s Chapel of Pigeon Run UMC) Exceptional Merit: Humane Society Float (sponsored by Ziegler Tire)
2024 awards
Grand Prize (best overall): 12th Man Float (sponsored by Akron Auto Auction)Ohio State Award (best nonprofessional builder): The Castle Float (sponsored by Tolin Designs) Enshrinees’ Award (most effective use of color): Houston Texans Float Mayor’s Award (best display of animation): Hilscher-Clarke ElectricHall of Fame Board of Trustees Award (most original concept): Freedom Float (sponsored by Newcomer’s Chapel of Pigeon Run United Methodist Church) NFL Award (best use of flowers): Stark County Humane Society Float (sponsored by Ziegler Tire) Exceptional Merit: Summit Academy Exceptional Merit: 60th anniversary float (sponsored by Ziegler Bolt & Nut) Exceptional Merit: Flags of Freedom
2023 awards
Grand Prize (best overall): Freedom Float (Newcomer’s Chapel United Methodist Church) Ohio State Award (best nonprofessional builder): Flags of Freedom Enshrinees’ Award (most effective use of color): Louisville Constitution Town Queen & Court Mayor’s Award (best display of animation): Hilscher-Clarke Electric Co. Hall of Fame Board of Trustees Award (most original concept): 12th Man NFL Award (best use of flowers): Stark County Humane Society (sponsored by Ziegler Tire)Exceptional Merit: ABCD Inc. Exceptional Merit: USFL FloatExceptional Merit: Pro Football Hall of Fame Enshrinement Festival Alumni Float
This article originally appeared on The Repository: ‘Pretty exciting.’ Floats are a big part of HOF Grand Parade tradition
Reporting by Charita M. Goshay, Canton Repository / The Repository
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By Charita M. Goshay, Canton Repository | USA TODAY Network
