Fred Hill Briefcase Drill Team

Fred Hill Briefcase Drill Team
Fred Hill barks orders to his Briefcase Drill Team at a Fourth of July event. (Photo: Bill Bresler)
Parade appearances	2008, 2012
Location	Plymouth, Michigan
Director	Fred Hill
Group Size	17
Performed	"Businessman Boogie" (2008) "One Very Tricky Briefcase Maneuver" (2012)

The Fred Hill Briefcase Drill Team was an all-male performance group located in Plymouth, Michigan, that featured businessmen with briefcases performing comedic drill routines. The ensemble was founded by Fred Hill as a walking advertisement for his clothing store, Fred Hill Haberdashers, and featured members ranging in age from 36 through 70. Though Hill's store closed in 1992, the drill team continued to perform at local parades and events, and later at world-famous processions such as the America's Thanksgiving Parade, the Indianapolis 500, and the Fiesta Bowl Parade.

The group disbanded following a final performance at the 2014 America's Thanksgiving Parade due to Hill's health issues; he later passed away in November 2021.

History with the Macy's Parade

The Fred Hill Briefcase Drill Team made its first Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade appearance in 2008. Under the direction of its founder, buttoned-down battalion numbered 17 as they performed an original routine, "Businessman Boogie," for the NBC telecast. The Drill Team made its second appearance in the 2012 Parade; among the marchers during this appearance were a lawyer, a banker, a school principal, and a judge. Another original drill routine, "One Very Tricky Briefcase Maneuver," was performed for the television broadcast.