“Oh, this is a wonderful parade.”
Well, my boys of summer lost 1-0 last night. It was a one hitter and that hit didn’t come until the last of the ninth when Nava, the $1.00 wonder, hit a single. Pitching duels are well-played games but are boring for spectators. We love to see balls, hit by the good guys, sail out of the park. We want a show.
Today has a chilly breeze with a here again gone again sun. I went out for brunch then waited around for two hours for the Seaside Festival parade to begin. I had my iPad so I was content just sitting and waiting. The road was filled with cars, and the line looked endless. This holiday weekend is the last hurrah for the Cape, and it seems as if much of the world has come to enjoy it.
The parade was so hometown. The only outside music came from UMass Lowell’s band, and they must have thought they’d taken a wrong turn somewhere. St. Pius Elementary School had a small band, and I didn’t recognize what they were playing. The local high school sounded good as did the two pipe and drum units, both local. The floats defied description, but I was able to figure out the theme It had something to do with summer as all the floats had umbrellas, beach toys and blown up sharks or whales. Most of the floats seemed to be filled with people throwing candy. There were several antique cars and, of course, the girl scouts and boy scouts. No hometown parade is worth its salt without scouts. A cheerleading school strutted its stuff and cheered their way passed me. The fire department started and ended the parade with sirens and bells.
The crowd seemed pleased, and I really enjoyed the parade as it reminded me of my hometown’s Memorial Day parade which hasn’t changed a bit in all these years. Today I got to wave at the people I know who were riding on floats or in cars. My friends and I chatted as they marched by me. I clapped for the bands and the floats. It wasn’t a long parade, but it was my childhood revisited, and I was happy.
Explore posts in the same categories: Musings
October 13, 2013 at 2:32 pm
No parades over here as You know, too bad we really should have some especially now when winter is around the corner.
Cold and foggy in the morning but sunny and warm the rest of the day. They predict snow for next Friday so I put on the winter tires today. It’s a long time till Friday so who knows if that snow will fall but if it does I’ll be prepared.
We don’t have boy scouts and girl scouts over here, they have always been together in the same groups. But I have to admit that I don’t know if there are any scouts up here. In my old home town there are the regular scouts and then we have the sea scouts since so many are out on the ocean from spring till autumn.
Have a great day!
Christer.
October 13, 2013 at 4:26 pm
Christer,
This will be the last parade until Memorial Day. Small towns across America always have one on that day and bigger towns and cities have one for July 4th. We do love parades here.
My father used to have two sets of tires and would religiously put his snow tires on his car in November. I have all weather tires so I’m spared from all that.
It stayed sunny during the parade. I had placed my chair facing the sun so it was nice sitting there.
There are sea scouts here as well and boys can choose a regular scout troop or a sea scout one. My nephew’s son just became a cub scout.
Enjoy the evening!
October 13, 2013 at 2:41 pm
One Swallow does not a Summer Make
But as the game ended last night Katy was live on SNL….123 million love America’s Sweethearts.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CevxZvSJLk8
And for those that might have been enjoying Margaret, she is heading for Bosworth Field
October 13, 2013 at 4:28 pm
My Dear hedley,
Your comment is hopeful but I’m a bit nervous for the pitching match-up for tonight.
Okay, I am not a Katy fan. I’m thinking she must have a younger fan base.
October 13, 2013 at 4:49 pm
or a male fan base 🙂
October 13, 2013 at 5:06 pm
MDH,
Of course!!
October 13, 2013 at 4:13 pm
The baseball adage that great pitching always beats great hitting was in abundance in both series yesterday. One game does not make a series which is one of baseball’s charms. Today’s hero can easily become tomorrow’s goat.
Every year we used to take the kids to the Park Cities 4th of July parade. It was all local groups and bands including units on horseback. One year a float, more like a horse drawn wagon, had the Dixie Chicks waving as they went down the street. This was before they got involved in some political mess which I can’t remember. The Park Cities, Highland and University Park, are two independent towns in the middle of Dallas. They are the second richest neighborhoods after Beverly Hills and they have their own police, fire and a highly rated school system. They never accept any Federal money so that they never have to integrate their schools. I can’t afford the cars that are parked in the student parking lot at Highland Park High School much less afford to buy a house anywhere in the two towns. They do put on a great Independence Day parade.
Cloudy today with a 50% chance of rain. So far we have only had some drizzle and mist.
Tonight we can choose between the Tigers and the Red Sox, The Cowboys and the Redskins, your choice interspersed with the Amazing race. The Cards sneaked by the Dodgers with one run again. Let’s go Sox! Let’s go to Detroit with a split.
October 13, 2013 at 4:33 pm
Bob,
Your first paragraph is totally true. I have hopes for tonight, but I admit not being happy about last night’s game. The Sox has so many chances and still didn’t score.
The town next to mine had the big parade. I even arched in it several times. It had so many bands and drill teams and great floats. It is a working man’s town but they put on a great 4th of July celebration.
The day stayed mostly sunny but chilly.
I’ll watch the Sox and The Amazing Race by switching back and forth during commercials.
Go Sox!!
October 13, 2013 at 5:06 pm
All the ALCS and the NLCS games so far have produced a total of seven runs. Interestingly more in the NLCS without the designated hitter 🙂
I will do a three way switch because I enjoy seeing shots of Jerry Jones when the Cowboys throw the game away 🙂 It doesn’t affect me but I love to see a very rich man suffer some kind of misery.
October 13, 2013 at 5:08 pm
Bob,
I knew there weren’t many runs scored, but I didn’t realize so few. I should have expected that. These are the best 4 teams in baseball and pitching helped them get there.
A 3 way switch would have me crazy.
October 13, 2013 at 7:08 pm
Hi Kat,
The next town to you no longer has that big parade. Last year was the last one. The organizers got burnt out from fund raising 24/7/365 for heaven only knows how many decades and said they couldn’t do it anymore. Would someone please step up and take over? Nobody did. Of course, when the 4th rolled around this year and there was no parade, all the Nobodies complained. There was much wailing and rending of garments on Facebook about how the town was going to ruin and it just wasn’t the way they remembered it.
Somebody organized a Hometown Parade at the last minute. It was very Hometown and rather well done considering the small amount of time they had to pull it together. The Nobodies were dismissive. Apparently they think this stuff just happens all on its own and for free.
Every time I see the abbreviation ALCS I think it’s a knee injury. 🙂
It’s murky weather and a bit cool up here as well.
Enjoy the evening.
October 13, 2013 at 9:59 pm
Hi Caryn,
I’m sorry about it having no parade. Every year we were there. My sister was in the carriage parade and won an award one year. Our night always ended with the fireworks by the lake. Too bad!!
I love hometown parades. They are the essence of America.
Sh, a non-baseball fan!!
Have a great night!!
October 13, 2013 at 7:11 pm
We have some kind of parade each April 30th in town. The legend says that in 1388 a neighboring village stole the cattle from a local village and then some local villages worked together to get the cattle back. Even the old town song tells of this incident. Now each year they take an oak tree from a forest nearby and carry it through town. It’s ridiculous, but it’s a tradition. And another reason to drink beer.
We’ve had a chorus competition in the mentioned neighboring city today. More civilized than stealing cattle 😉
October 13, 2013 at 10:03 pm
Birgit,
I love that story, and it would seem getting cattle back, even metaphorically, merits a celebration. Beer is absolutely in order!!
A chorus competition is definitely more civilized but there isn’t a parade!!