If you tuned in to see the Rose Parade yesterday, you’ll know that thousands of people sat through heavy rains and wind to watch the traditional parade where hundreds of people have worked thousands of hours to produce stunning floats covered completely with flowers, seeds, bark, and other plant parts. We were a couple of those people sitting in the pouring rain. I don’t think it was a matter of braving the storm as much as it was a matter of being stupid enough to think that you can enjoy a parade under any circumstances as long as there’s little chance of your dying from those circumstances.
We had helped serve breakfast to 600 plus people that morning a figure that was down considerably from previous years as more intelligent people were staying away from the wind and rain. The breakfast is a long-standing fund raising tradition for the Holliston United Methodist Church. They also sell seats in the stadium seating erected in front of the Church along Colorado Boulevard in Pasadena. It’s a good location and a great idea for a fund raiser except every 51 years when the weather plays havoc with the parade.
Some of the parade participants including band members, horsemen, and float riders were prepared with panchos or rain coats that kept them somewhat dry. Others looked and must have felt like they were taking a two-hour cold shower because they were. I have utmost admiration for the flag twirlers who bravely smiled at what crowd there was to give them the show they came to see and for the band members who refused to be cowed by a little water.
Our grandson Perry held out as long as he could but when he began turning blue Grandma decided it was time to move him out of the rain. Four-year old Libby held out for the whole parade and said at the end, even though she was soaked to the skin, “I loved this parade!” It’s certainly one we’ll never forget.
No comments:
Post a Comment