Parada del Sol Parade

Traveling on business, I chanced to be the final car let through before a small town Christmas parade. I put on a Santa hat that just happened to be in my car and waved at people as I went by. People cheered back. It was a nice feeling. I joined my company’s band as soon as I returned home. I hadn’t played flute in 25 years, but I wanted to be in another parade. The band even had a flat bed truck to ride on so we didn’t have to walk and play at the same time. It was below zero when the day of the parade finally arrived. The wind kept us from using our portable music holders. Most of the band knew Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer by heart, so they played it over and over again. I faked it. Parades are big entertainment in small towns. Lots of people braved the bad weather and showed up to applaud our efforts. We went once around the block and it was all over. There were three bands in the parade and the judges awarded us second place.

Having no talent or fame to display, I switched from parade participant to spectator. A nearby small town with a reservoir had their parade in the summer. People dressed up, towed decorated boats, and pelted spectators with candy and popsicles. The parade varied every year depending on participants, but the subsequent festival was pretty much the same--focusing primarily on food and beer.

The Parada del Sol Parade was advertised as the “World’s Largest Horsedrawn Parade”. This is probably because most people don’t use horses anymore. Close to 150 entries were anticipated, but only 99 showed up. The biggest cheers seemed to be for the kids shoveling horse poop and Terry Goddard, Arizona’s Attorney General. It was quiet when Sheriff Joe Arpaio went by. This was very different from earlier times when people clapped and waved their pink underwear at him. There were lots of horses--from miniatures to Percherons and Clydesdales. The only routine I saw was performed by a dog drill team that switched rows as they marched. Some of the folklorico dancers waved their skirts and did steps as they went by. Except for a couple of school bands, people in various uniforms just walked or rode by. There were multitudes of females of all ages shaking pom poms. The Jazzy Poms are a group of older women cheerleaders. Their leader was an amazing baton twirler. She was the only baton twirler in the parade. Baton Twirling and Trick Roping are fast becoming lost arts. This year’s Parada del Sol had a low spectator turnout. Parades are free entertainment so this can’t be blamed on the current economic mess. I think people just got bored watching other people walk by.

Parades have changed a lot from when the days when I chased after the thrown candy. The paraders used to entertain the crowds on the curb. Now, they just expect to be applauded for being there.

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