I love parades. I love sitting on the side of the street on camping chairs, or on the ground in the hot sun, under an umbrella, watching the floats and people going by, dancing to the music. We have been to 4 parades this year, two being at Disneyland. When I was younger, my very favorite parade was the Electrical Light Parade at Disneyland, of which they have recently brought back. We were lucky enough to let our children see that while we were visiting there in June. The dancing Disney characters, combined with the lively, just-can't-help-but-clap music that accompanies them is one of my very favorite things that I remember from my childhood.
The other two parades we attended this year were in our little hometown here in Utah. On the 4th of July there is an Independence Day parade, and on the 24th of July there is another parade to celebrate Pioneer Day, the day that Pioneers arrived into and settled the Salt Lake Valley. These parades, again, bring me back into my own childhood again. My little hometown in California had a very similar parade each 4th of July. But, the ones here in Utah definately have their own twist. Both parades in our town are almost identical in nature -- but still great, nonetheless.
Here in an example of what we see in our little country home-town parade:
- Big trucks with banners on the side advertising their business
- Every police car, fire truck, and ambulance in the town, sirens blaring
- About 50 tractors, all with flags on the back
- A few floats, mostly from the local churches
- The high school marching band playing the one song they know
- The high school cheerleaders
- The Uettes -- the unicycling group
- Some dance groups
- Horses/Future Farmers of America, and Miss Uintah County
- Big Semi's from the oil fields
- A few community soccer teams on flat bed trucks, spraying water
It may seem corny or hokey to some, but I have to admit, I really love it. We scream, we yell, we taunt the kids spraying water, but mostly we just have fun. These parades give us a chance to show support to our community and to let our children know that we love our country and those who have gone before. Hooray!
