Every year, the Homecoming parade winds its way through our neighborhood as it heads toward the high school; this has become one of the highlights of the fall season for my urchins and me. I love this parade, which has not changed one bit since I marched in it escorting the senior class float in 1979 (Class of '80! GO, MIGHTY VIKINGS!!).tangent: You may have noticed from an earlier post that my high school urchins go to a different high school; our county offers the opportunity to attend "specialty programs" at magnet schools, and my urchins go to a school that specializes in international studies and languages -- which is terrific for me because instead of kicking them out the door so they can ride a bus for a minute and a half (people, we can hear the neighborhood high school band practicing from our house), I get to haul their asses thirty minutes across town every morning. I'm not bitter.
The Mighty Viking Marching Band, the floats and the fire trucks all line up a block away from our house. Families gather on the curb, and kids bring their Halloween buckets and bags because e-v-e-r-y-o-n-e throws candy to the spectators!
I love seeing everyone respond as the American flag passes by at the beginning of the parade; the kids seem to be the first one to jump to their feet.
The cheerleaders ride on top of the fire trucks -- lucky!
All the local politicians show up for this parade -- their last chance for an informal, no-pressure, patriotic community event before the election next month. Woe unto the county supervisor or candidate for delegate who runs out of candy or stickers -- we voters have long memories!
The Army Jr. R.O.T.C. units do a great job singing jodies and marching to the cadence. The drill team always stops and performs about halfway through -- fabulous!
Here's the amazing marching band drum major, who does all this tricky marching/conducting/dancing -- and does it backwards! I offer this in place of what should have been a picture of the Homecoming court, but I saw my oldest girl's best friend marching with the crew team and she and I got excited and we were hugging each other, and then the homecoming court had passed us by along with the crew team, and she had to run to catch up.It's that kind of parade.
I am such a sucker for these types of parades and events. We have the butterfly parade in October here, but even when I live din L.A. (El Segundo to be exact) they had fun events like this all the time.
ReplyDeleteHolly
I miss these type of parades that were commonplace in the small Kansas town I grew up in. I was a "Mighty Marching Mustang"...1st clarinet! Ahhh, the memories.
ReplyDeleteYou know in my past life I was an international human resources strategic analyst - whew, I couldn't get all that on my name plate at the office ... heh. I later moved on to become a manager of international HR, then a senior expatriate consultant at one of the Big 4. Then 'otherhood hit ... oh my. I have no regrets though. Corporate life has its pros & cons, but I do miss the nice payroll ;)
ReplyDeleteI studied Russian for a year in college, and French - geez, 6 years (H.S. & college). Uhm, never used it :( Spanish - now that would have been smart.
International studies are a very very good thing. So you do the 2 hr drive a day, too? Good Buddy's employer is 30 min each way, and I go there & back twice a day, plus work myself. Oy. If heaven has frequent flyer miles, we're golden, my friend. ;) xo
the memories - for both you and the ones you are creating. What a wonderful time!
ReplyDeleteMJ
Dirty Little Confessions
Looks like fun! We have a huge parade in our little town at the end of our annual festival. I went once. I don't have anything against parades, but the crowds are awful!
ReplyDeleteIt says "Americana" to me. Love it!
ReplyDeleteI love parades. We have a great Canada Day parade and fireworks in July and Santa Clause Parade in December.
ReplyDeleteWhat fun. We just don't really have parades that often here, we have an Anzac parade which is quite sombre but not much else. Wish we had more.
ReplyDeleteOh my god, you just described the Hubbard Homecoming parade in Hubbard, Ohio, where I grew up. Even the pictures could be it.
ReplyDeleteThe beauty queens riding on the convertibles were always my favorite. For a while in the '60s, it was the fad to tint your big puffy ratted hair a pastel color and I can STILL SEE this one blond girl with a lavender dress with her hair tinted lavender. I think I fell in love with her, beauty queens and parades at that moment.
Don't you just LOVE living close enough to the high school that you can hear the marching band practice? Can you hear Friday night football games too? That, my friend, is living the dream.