Parades Aren’t Hokey

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Parades Aren’t Hokey

Parades Aren’t Hokey By Arlene Uslander

Arlene Uslander

I used to think parades were hokey:  noisy, flamboyant –”much ado about nothing.”  I guess I pretty much felt about parades the way Scrooge felt about Christmas, “Bah, Humbug!”  Maybe that’s because I grew up in a big city, in a neighborhood where we didn’t have parades.  And when I got married and moved to a suburb, we didn’t have parades there, either.  Actually, the closest I’d ever been to a parade was watching one on TV, and then, after a few minutes, I’d switch to a different channel, thinking, “What’s the big deal about parades?”

One of my sons moved to a small town in Northern California, called Tuolumne (population, about 800) where parades are a big deal, especially the annual holiday parade in December that starts on the town square. While my husband and I were visiting just before Christmas one year, my son asked us to take our seven-year-old grandson to the parade to march in it with his Cub Scout Pack, while my son and his wife prepared for a holiday party they were having at their house  We said we would.

Well….a funny thing happened while I stood outside on that frosty December night, waiting for Cub Scout Pack #66 to pass by. I got goose bumps, and it wasn’t from the chill in the air.

First came the Veterans of Foreign Wars –a small group of frail-looking elderly men, one holding a rifle, one carrying the American flag, a few of them limping, the others walking slowly to keep pace with the ones who were limping, all looking a bit weary, but all looking very proud when the large crowd clapped and cheered as the small band of men walked by.

Next came five women, called “The Shady Ladies” wearing Santa hats, riding on beautiful
white horses that were decked out with jewel-studded bridles. As the horses trotted along in time to the music of the town’s marching band, it seemed that they, too, were proud to be part of the regalia as they high-stepped along, strutting their stuff.

After that came the colorfully decorated fire engines and rescue squad truck, flashing their lights, sounding their sirens and horns, and filled with happy children throwing candy and confetti to the crowd.

Last, but certainly not least (to me), came the Cub Scouts, followed by the Weblos and Boy Scouts. My grandson, his face a-glow, was one of five small boys carrying their large banner.This was the first parade he had ever been part of, and I was touched beyond words as he passed by.

The parade marched around the town square twice, then disbanded, and some of the marchers and spectators joined the town choir to sing holiday songs in the park.We couldn’t stay because we had to get home for the party.  On the way home, my grandson asked us about the old men who had led the parade, and we talked about war. My grandson wanted to know “how come the Germans and Japanese were our enemies in World War 2, but are our friends now. Neither my husband nor I could come up with an answer that made any sense to us, let alone to our grandson. He concluded that “war is very stupid!” I heartily agreed.

I no longer feel that parades are hokey, or if they are, it’s a nice hokeyness –fun, exciting, and very stirring. Marching in a parade, or even just watching, makes you feel proud –proud of your town, your city, your country. I loved watching that small town parade.  Who knows…maybe someday I’ll even march in one. 

 Bio

 Arlene Uslander is the author of 16 non-fiction books and hundreds of articles and essays. An award-winning journalist and free lance editor, her most recent book (2010),her most recent book, an anthology of true, inspirational story about Fate, which she co-authored with Brenda Warneka, is “The Mystery of Fate: Common Coincidence or Divine Intervention?”  www.thefatesite.com .and Amazon.com

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