Parades

Photo by Backroads Photography

When I was growing up I loved parades. I looked forward every year to the 4th of July parade that took place in the town fifteen minutes away. It was represented by the entire Bitterroot Valley. There were a lot of horses, old cars, fire engines that carried the local football teams, floats that were homemade in people's back yards, the men dressed up in old military uniforms and all of the cool old military vehicles and tanks, and my favorite of all........lots of candy throwing. Everyone in the parade threw candy! Bringing up the rear of the parade, the grand finales of all grand finales was an old fire truck that sprayed candy forth like water from it's hose.

I looked forward to it every year.

As an adult I still go to parades. I take The Native's. There isn't any candy throwing anymore. There are too many vehicles in parades now so they are worried about children getting hurt running out to get the candy.

Favorite icons like Cosmo would run up and down the parade route giving the kids hi fives. Now he just stands on top of a truck and dances.

The local both college and high school football teams used to ride in the parade. They didn't this year.

Instead this year, there were a lot of trucks with big billboards in the back of them advertising the local car dealership where you could purchase one of these trucks.

There was A LOT of advertising in the parade this year. One float in particular turned my stomach. I'm going to have nightmares for weeks and quite frankly, if I was the girl sitting in front of me that was accosted by one of the freaks that was with the float, I'd have turned the guy in right then and there for inappropriate behavior........just sayin....

What is the 4th of July. What exactly is it we are celebrating?

The saddest part of the parade to me this year....... when the flags and military figures would go by..... no one stood and waved and clapped and put their hands over their hearts.

We live in a free country. People are free to sit on their bahooties! But I'm not one of those. I was raised that this free country we live in was paid for at a huge cost and is still kept free to this day at a huge price. The cost of freedom......is the ultimate sacrifice. Which so many have given!

So as the military vehicles drove past with veterans from wars in our past, and young men fighting today I shouted and waved myself hoarse because I! Am proud to be an American. And I! Am proud of my country. I! Love our flag. Long may it wave. And I hope and pray that I never, nor my children, take it for granted.

End Note: I shouldn't have said 'no one'. That is a rather broad term. I meant all of the people around us that weren't in our group that I could see.