Last weekend our family had the distinct pleasure of marching in the parade at Cleveland’s signature summer festival, Parade the Circle. The V-meister’s school has been marching in the parade for the past several years, and when she got wind of it, there was no stopping the V-meister from marching in it, too.
I asked the coordinator how things typically go down. Should we just drop the V-meister off at a point along the parade route, or were families marching, as well?
“Everyone is welcome!” the coordinator said.
“Even the little brother?” I asked her.
“Oh yes! Especially him.”
The day of the parade dawned bright and sunny, but things deteriorated quickly from there. One person was offended by her family and the white uniform blouse she was required to wear. (This person is only seven years old.) Another refused to brush his teeth or comb his hair. A third person decided to take his shower five minutes before go time and a fourth person lamented the fact that she was always the responsible one, packing water, sunscreen and snacks. If it weren’t for this one responsible person, the whole family would be going to hell in a handbasket instead of downtown to a parade.
Somehow we made it to the designated meeting spot a full hour before anyone else was there. The meeting spot was on the top floor of a parking garage which was being lasered by the midday sun. And here commenced a prolonged period of waiting during which certain members of the family announced they were bored and ready to go home. Since our group was set to go toward the end of the parade route, we did have the benefit of watching the other groups march out.
There were some really neat costumes.
Like this dragon:
Stilt walkers:
A blue head with hands:
African dancers:
And surprised looking trolls:
Our costumes were kind of budget:
But people still cheered.
Next year I’ll probably be watching from the sidelines.
Unless I’m on stilts.
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Great photos.
And I must say, you guys are so cute! Can you say more about your costumes?
alejna´s last [type] ..water- steam- drain
Alejna – I really wish I could say more about our costumes. I do know that they were handmade out of recycled materials, and that we wore toilet paper rolls around our necks.
You guys are awesome!! That is all.
Becca´s last [type] ..They call him The Lawn Sprinkler
Looks like you had a blast! so fun.
Which is why I never sign my family up to walk in the parade with their school.
At least you got a good view of all the cool parade stuff.
Kat´s last [type] ..Life In These Parts
Sounds fun! What a neat parade. I will think of you the next time I drive from Chi-town to MD through Cleveland. Costumes and all. Which I loved, btw.