INDIANAPOLIS — One of the best traditions for the upcoming holiday is the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.
And Hoosiers will be a part of it again this year.
You'll have to watch for the Fishers High School marching band. But also, look for a Fishers family under one of the big balloons!
For the Simonetts, it's a bucket list adventure.
After watching the holiday tradition for years, both on TV and in person, the family from Fishers will be in the parade.
Dave, Kristi and their adult children Meghan and Jon will be doing some literal heavy lifting as balloon handlers.
"Oh, it's going to be great! Awesome," said Dave Simonett. "Especially to be able to do this is great as a family."
Turns out, you have to know someone at Macy's to even get a chance at this coveted job.
The Simonetts did, through a friend of a friend.
And, after a subsequent application process, got selected to take "Bluey Keepy Uppy" down the 2 1/2 mile route for three hours on Thanksgiving.
Bluey is the blue puppy in a popular Australian-based kids show. She's a big "get" in the Simonetts' minds, but preparing for leading her through the parade takes practice.
The family had to fly out to the East Coast for a training session in September. They worked on rope techniques, what to do in wind gusts and how to corral and steer a big balloon.
They also learned how to deflate the balloon, which they have to do once the parade is over.
"It's not as easy as you think it's going to be," Dave said.
"No! I think that's why I'm a little nervous," added Meghan Simonett. "That's because our practice - granted, it was the worst weather it could be before they'd cancel the balloons - but it was not as easy as it looks on TV!"
"I was thinking, 'Oh, you're just going to kind of hold the balloon and be waving to people,' and they still say, 'Make sure you wave to the little kids and look up'. But the practice was very difficult," Kristi Simonett said.
They trained in cold rain. Dry, warmer weather is expected in New York City on Thursday.
But the wind? That's the X factor.
The Simonetts clued us into a dark day in Macy's parade history that they'd rather not repeat.
"I don't know if you've seen the 1997 Barney," Meghan asked. "Oh, Barney, he died in the Thanksgiving Day parade."
"They had to shoot him down," Kristi added. "So the balloon got swept away and they had to like, yep. They had to explode Barney, basically, for safety of all the people."
That incident in 1997 is partially why Macy's has such rigorous practice for people leading the balloons.
The Simonetts are confident their training will prevent any problems. They're also thrilled to have such a key role in a beloved family tradition.
"That's Thanksgiving. You start with the Macy's Day Parade," Kristi said. "So for us to be able to be a part of this in this way is just incredible - like I am so excited just to share it as a family. It's awesome."
So when you see those balloons?
Look below Bluey for the family from Fishers.
The parade begins at 8:30 a.m. on Thursday. You can watch it on WTHR Channel 13.