(no subject)

[rivka]

I don't usually do much of the Fourth of July thing, but we decided that we wanted to take Alex to a parade. Oddly enough, Baltimore doesn't have one - perhaps because, most years, the weather on the Fourth is so scorching hot that the last place you want to be is walking down the street in a marching band uniform. Catonsville (a close-in suburb centered on the Baltimore Beltway) was having a parade, though, and the weather was overcast and not especially hot - so off we went.

It was a remarkably small-town parade to be the only one going on in a big city: fire engines were prominently featured, for example, and there was a contingent of children who had decorated their bikes with crepe paper. The floats were distinctly homemade. Oddly enough, there were drum and bugle corps from as far away as Ontario, Atlanta, and North Carolina. Maybe there's some kind of competition being held locally? And then we were back to kids from a local preschool riding in the back of a truck, followed by moms pushing crepe-decorated strollers.

In the midst of all of these homemade festivities: an open car containing the governor and lieutenant governor of Maryland, followed, a few minutes later, by open cars containing each of Maryland's U.S. Senators. Huh. Interestingly enough, the governor had highly visible security agents surrounding his car and looking intently into the crowd, but Mikulski and Cardin didn't even have a police escort.

Most surprising marchers: the Women in Black, with multiethnic puppets labeled "Peace" in different languages, and a massive red-white-and-blue puppet emblazoned, "Peace is Patriotic."

Most thoughtful parade loot: a tie between the St. Agnes Medical Foundation (bottles of ice-cold water), and kids from a local school (frosty Flav-R-Ice.)

Strangest parade loot: a little baggie of candy with a "Jesus loves you" toy and the most unconvincing tract I've ever seen.

Alex's favorite moment: her first lollipop (hard candy is a choking hazard, so we've held off), which promptly dyed her tongue bright blue.

Best marketing tie-in: Liberty Tax Preparation, which distributed thousands of cheap foam Statue of Liberty crowns. Alex looks marvelous in hers.

Comments

[wcg.livejournal.com]

I think that parade moves around the towns of Baltimore County. It was held in Towson a few years ago, and I was there performing crowd control with the MDDF.

You're right about it being an interesting experience. I'm glad it was pleasantly cool for you today.

[rivka.livejournal.com]

Does it usually draw high-powered politicians? I would've expected elected officials more along the line of "Delegate for the 2056th District," especially given that it's not an election year.

[wcg.livejournal.com]

The year I did crowd control Michael Steele and Barbara Mikulski were both in it. That was after Steele had been elected lieutenant governor and before he ran for the Senate, so it was an off-year. I think it's seen as a way to get out and be visible, and also appeal to the neighborhood ethic of Baltimore county.