Today was one of our city's biggest celebrations: The Labor Day Parade. There's actually a weekend-long festival with carnival rides, information and food booths by various organizations (everything from the Literacy Council to the local Bahai community). But the parade is Very Big Deal. In this New Deal city (we were founded as a New Deal program, with the coop I live in being built as affordable family housing.)
So we caught it right at the beginning, with Scottish bagpipers. Lovely music, I mean that (heard outdoors, as bagpipes are meant to be). There's a wonderful tradition of most groups throwing wrapped candies--one of our local politicians did it in a big way, throwing mini-Reese's Peanut Butter Cups.
Some highlights:
The local high school cheerleaders! They did an incredible dance to a hip-hop tune: awesome moves and fine synchronization!
The Greenbelt Pride group: theme was Olympics of Marriage Equality. Husband and I gave them a huge cheer. One couple had a baby in a front pack.
Our co-op's float: theme was "It's a Small World" (without the song, I might add). Included some people in ethnic dress, including traditional Turkish clothes and a woman in a cowboy hat, star-spangled shirt, and white shorts with three European flags stuck in the pockets. "I love your American costume!" I thanked her.
The elementary school PTA had a "bookmobile" car with a Cat in the Hat bowtie on the front bumper and tall hat on the hood. Members gave out free secondhand books.
The Greenbelt Democratic Club combined with the county Obama-supporters group: They got one of the biggest cheers of all (oh, how I love living in the Great Green Successful Social Experiment instead of Redneck Republicanland!). The announcer asked, "Can anybody tell me who Obama is?" I called out, shortly before he answered, "The next President of the United States!"
Near the end was...
The Reel Lawn Mowers Precision Drill Team. They had their little push-mowers decorated with tissue-paper flowers and Christmas-tree garland. They each had a card with a letter, spelling out "KICK*GAS". And they were a precision team--"presenting arms," at the start, doing "the wave, " spinning out and making two pinwheels, and more (I even saw at least one high kick in there!"
And there were the usual fire engines (some fine-looking antique ones), Girl and Boy Scouts, politicians, the town pageant winners (poised and attractive young girls--we need one for boys!) and so on. Oh, and I almost forgot, the Lone Ranger and Silver.
Sadly, we did not bring our camera. Next year!
All in all, a great parade. Next year I wanna march with our coop.
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