Small Town Parade

What could be more fun in the summertime than a small town parade? This past weekend was the annual Rathdrum Days festival here in our community and the celebration included a parade that marched right past our house.

I love a parade. Especially one in a small town with down-home creativity and “just folks” with all the hokeyness you can imagine. That’s what makes it so interesting, don’t you think?

So on Saturday morning we carried our lawn chairs out to the sidewalk and gathered with our neighbors to see the parade. I took lots of pictures because I fully intend for the print shop to have an entry in the parade next year and I wanted to get ideas.

Here comes the color guard.
I wouldn’t want to listen to bagpipe music for very long, but I do enjoy hearing and seeing the kilted pipers go by.

And then you’ve got funny little “floats” like this to add a little whimsy to the whole affair.What would a parade be without the Shriners on their go-carts? I don’t remember seeing the antique little tricycle/car thing before. The pedals, if that’s what you call them, were operated by the levers the man was working back and forth with his arms. His feet did not move.About 10 minutes into the parade, we noticed the color guard headed the other direction behind us. The front of the parade had evidently reached the end of the route already.High school cheerleaders with lotsa little cheerleaders-in-training.It’s not every day that you see a truck on a truck on a truck.St. Stanislaus Catholic Church is having their Vacation Bible School this coming week. Looks like they’ll have a great time with a Cave Quest theme.Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church had their VBS this past week with a Barnyard Roundup theme. Another iconic small-town parade entry: the Rodeo Queen. This was Rebecca’s favorite entry, of course.For an election year there really weren’t that many political entries. The Republican Party float made me laugh, though. All the “vote for so-and-so” posters… and the presidential one is hand-lettered? What’s up with that?What’s the funniest or most interesting thing you’ve ever seen in a small-town parade?