Pictured above at last year’s Macy’s Thankgiving Day Parade, Twig Wompkee has been hard at work in Wompkee Wood preparing for her appearance in the 79th annual parade on Thursday. This is a very special year for the Wompkees as it marks the tenth anniversary of their first appearance in the parade, in 1996. To the best of anyone’s recollection no other costumed character has been invited to participate in this seminal yearly event for ten consecutive years making Twig and her clan very proud Wompkees. The Wompkees, created by Con Fullam and Maura Clarke of Windham, have come a long way since their first parade. They have starred in their very own movie entitled, “A Very Wompkee Christmas,” which is now distributed in 38 countries and translated in 12 languages. And they have published two storybooks, the second of which will be available this holiday season. There are plans for two more movies and two more storybooks to be released in 2006. Courtesy photo