12.06.2008

Christmas parade recap

This has become one of my favorite things each year during December.
Last year it fell on my birthday which made it doubly cool.

I especially love when the day is pretty & sunny like today.
It was also a tad bit cold & pretty darn windy too, but hey, can't have it all!

I remember it snowing one year.
Booosh, it was cold.

Anyway, I actually have a picture of each individual entry in the parade but will certainly not bore you with all of it, but I did want to share some of my faves, beginning with these two chicks riding the Ozarka College float.
Yes, that is Karla and Nancy - also known as The Grinch and Cindy Lou Who!
This was pretty nifty!
Apparently there is an antique tractor club somewhere in the community and they brought some of their beauties to town.
John Deere:
Farmall:
and Case:
Next we have Cody & Marcus, A.K.A Twiddle Dee and Twiddle Dum! (j/k guys!)
They were pulling Molly's daycare float.
And you cannot have a Christmas parade without the Big Guy!
Better known as Santa.

Okay, I have to tell this story, so please bear with me.

Alex & her friend Tracy decided to ride their horses in the parade this year, first time in a couple of years they've ridden horses. Anyway, they wanted to carry a banner to "advertise" their 4H club and Alex went to Tracy's house last week and they made a nice looking PAPER banner. (key word = PAPER) - just stay with me a minute.

Now, when she came home and showed it to me, I was like, "that is really cool, but where is the banner going?"
and she said, "we are going to carry it."
I said, "on your horses???"
and she was like, all nonchalantly/smart aleck-y, "well, yeah!"

I don't know how many of my blog readers have ever ridden a horse - in a parade - but there is a lot going on when you are riding - in a parade. Kids everywhere, sirens, candy being thrown, bands, music, screaming. Not to mention you are riding on asphalt which is slick to a horse wearing horseshoes.

Anyway, I am picturing these two knuckleheads on their horses - good horses, but "HELLO!" A paper banner between two horses, during a parade....come on!
I explained to her that the banner would probably never make it through. She explained how they were planning to rig up the banner with these large plastic candy canes so they could hold onto it. yeah right....

So that was our conversation last week.

Fast forward to today.....
Do you remember me mentioning how windy it was today?
Well, that was just double jeopardy in my mind for their groovy banner.
I even told Alex I needed to get their picture before they left because that banner would never make it through to where I was going to be during the parade taking pictures.

Well, low and behold - those little stinkers made it all the way through! I was astounded!
Are you still here?
Okay, good.
Sorry for the long story, but I was just so floored that #1 they made it and #2 that I was wrong!
I can admit when I'm wrong.
Mind you it doesn't happen very often! ;)
I was wrong in this instance!
I present Tracy, Alex, Toby & Hippy....AND
their banner!
Here we have the ever loveable, ever cutie patootie, Molly Grace.
She had a blast being in the float throwing candy.
And here is Amy, Molly & Brandi.
Lastly, the girls! Including Nancy.
This parade is just so downhome and fun.
There is free cocoa, coffee and cookies at the end.
And the Big Guy is set up handing out candy & fruit and finding out what all the locals want under their tree Christmas morn.
They even take Polaroid pictures of the little ones with Santa.
Just good times all around.
I love living in Small Town, Arkansas, USA!

There will be another parade next Saturday down the road in Hardy.
Don't know if I'll make that one.
Probably depends on the weather.

Wow, I've blogged two nights in a row.
I'm on a roll here!

I'll be back tomorrow with more of my Daily December pages.
Happy Saturday Night!

3 comments:

Karla Rush said...

Your photography just keeps getting better and better. I wish you'd teach a class so I could learn some of your tricks.

ncwdust said...

It was such a great day...and the AF parade is my fave of all the ones we do!

Lynne said...

I love the small town parades too - up here there are tons and tons of tractors too - I was totally oblivious to the John Deere/Farmall rivalry until we came here...great pics!