Dann Cuellar gets ready for 21st parade preview

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- Thursday may mark the 100th 6abc Dunkin' Thanksgiving Day Parade, but Wednesday night is another Action News tradition -- Dann Cuellar's parade preview.

This is the 21st year Cuellar and his photographer, Yuri Gershman, will give viewers a tour of the floats the night before the parade.

Looking back on the first year, Cuellar says, "I didn't want to do this, because, to me, this is not the kind of thing that newsmen do."

Then Gershman, and Jackie Bacher, who is part of the original parade preview crew sold him on the idea.

"We're going to set up a thousand-foot reel of cable and then we're going to have you in a golf cart and you're going to be riding in the golf cart and you're going to go show all the different parade floats all the way down. We're going to be following you in another golf cart," Cuellar explained. "21 years later, here we are."

Gershman says it's one of his favorite assignments of the year.

"Working in news, sometimes you deal with a lot of stories which are crime-related or accident-related, but doing the preview of the parade...it's a fun story to do. It lets us be more creative," said Cuellar.

The duo says one of their favorite memories is when Cuellar did a duet with Patti LaBelle.

"People will say, believe it or not, we almost feel it's the start of the holiday when we see Dann riding along the floats," said Gershman. "It's almost like their holiday tradition to watch Dann riding along the golf carts."

"We try to give it a lot of thought and we'll have some fun with it again this year," said Cuellar.

As for any hints about what's in store? You'll have to tune in to find out!