I am thankful for community traditions.
Twenty years ago when we made a big move from Texas to Maryland, my sons weren't too happy with it, especially Theo. He spent every waking moment trying to figure out a way to get back to Texas. There were just too many changes for him. Even so, he was slowly warming up to a couple of kids who lived down the street.
One day, they invited him to be in a community parade with other cub scouts. Wally was excited about it, but Theo wasn't too sure. After I found out the details from their mother, we joined the local cub scout pack at the parade formation area. Wally stepped right up and volunteered to carry the banner in front of the group. Theo was still not too sure of things until he found out the little ones, which included him, got to ride on a wagon in the parade. That he thought was pretty cool and for a little while he thought his new town was pretty cool, too.
We didn't know it at the time, but that was the first parade for the town and since then, it has evolved into an annual, weekend-long celebration. It has been a long time since Wally and Theo have been in the parade, but I have carried on the family tradition marching with the local library most years. Ward joins me afterwards and we watch the fireworks together. This past weekend was another year of this fun time.
So, for this community and family tradition, I am thankful.
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| Theo is in the wagon and Wally is in front of the truck carrying a banner during the very first parade. |
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| This is me, several years later, at the formation spot waiting for the parade to start. |
It sounds like a lovely community tradition! Do the little ones still get to ride in a wagon?
ReplyDeleteThis year they were walking. My guess is the person who owned the wagon has kids who have moved on from scouts. The route is not too long, so I think they did okay.
DeleteI love community events like this. We used to have them, unfortunately our burb's downtown area is smack dab in the center of a 4 lane highway. It is really no longer conducive for a parade. (something to do with state regulations regarding re-routing traffic. Imagine that!)
ReplyDeleteThey do close off roads that don't have an easy way around them. However, they are not four-lane highways. You always have on your list to visit other communities. Can you visit one of them for a local celebration? It may not be the same as knowing a lot of people, but could be fun anyway.
DeleteYour sparkling personality is sending off stars in your last picture! Heehee. My husband and son have been on the boy scout "float" (not really a decorated float but they hand out candy) for years. Since I typically work on Memorial Day weekend when the parade is on, my daughter has also been an honorary "boy scout" with them. I think especially for little ones, they feel like a celebrity for the day. Such a nice way for your son to start to feel a part of the town when he was little.
ReplyDeleteThat's right. The picture gives a little glimpse into my "sparkling personality." :)
DeleteAww, that is sweet! What good memories and I'm sure it helped your sons' transition to a new state and city.
ReplyDeleteYou know, I'm gonna have to ask them how much they remember about that first parade. It's certainly, a big memory of mine. Sometimes I find that what I remember as important is not the same thing that they remember. It's fun to compare notes sometimes.
DeleteI will always remember one Christmas parade. When the librarians came by, they were pushing library book carts. Suddenly the lead march stopped, blew a whistle, turned around. Then commenced the funniest best library cart dance I've ever seen. It was a hoot!
ReplyDeleteWe tried doing library cart drills one year and they were fun, but a lot harder than than we thought. The hills were not easy.
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