If you happen to follow some of my posts, I wrote a little ditty on parades a couple years back (see it here). For the last couple of years I have been trying to avoid the local parade because they scream suburbia; however, I decided to give this year's a shot and see what I could take from it.
Of course no parade would be the same without the stake outs. Take caution when walking through because people use everything from tightrope, wire, and flags to crepe paper to block off their territory. This year was quite an eye opener as the landscape felt more like a daycare as young families that come out for their annual "out in public" gathering proceed to set up camp, send their kids to the curb for candy and the adults crack open any alcohol they can get their hands on.
Thirty minutes later, the parade finally greets us with its presence. There are many acts that walk through the parade, but for the sake of space, I chose a few of my favorites to highlight here:
Marching Bands - I love these guys. They come from all around and they play so well, provided I am privileged enough to actually hear them play. Sadly, I must miss the memo that tells you where every band uses their instrument to play a tune. This year didn't fail me. The band comes, drummers are tapping away and the brass section looks lesser for wear, as they should - since it's insanely hot outside. But no music. There's always next year.
Dance Groups - They come in all shapes, sizes, colors and ages. They are baton twirlers, high school pom squads, drill teams, private dance crews, and of course Dancing Grannies. The best part about the dance groups are the 2-3 year olds that march down the street looking like little dolls and clueless as can be about what they are supposed to be doing with their arms. Some crews are better than others, but the highlight this year would have to be our own "Dancing Grannies." These women know how to "shake what their momma gave them" so to speak and had more spunk than the 15 year olds whisking their poms about looking for something else to do. I hope I'm that spunky at 85.
The Clowns, Costumes and Candy - These people never fail to amaze me and give me a good chuckle. This year the parade committee must have finally figured out that the costumes of Bugs Bunny, Kermit, Big Bird, Mickey Mouse and Ronald McDonald were in fact - thirty some years old and starting to look a little mothy. Today I did not see all the regulars, but for the ones I did see, all I could think about was how they were surviving in the heat trap they were wearing in this weather. Clowns are clowns are clowns. Candy - now this is a fun thing because this year we had a dentist go through and had his "tooth fairy" chuck some what I'm assuming to be "good for you" candy at the kids. A kid in front of us picks up the candy, proceeds to chew on it, followed shortly thereafter by a foul look and concludes by spitting it on the ground. Nice try, tooth fairy. Next time give out toothbrushes.
There are many other types of groups, but I'll keep with these for now. Happy Independence Day, everyone! Thanks for reading :)
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