The Parade Must Go On

On rainy Saturday, T's preschool participated in a St. Patrick's Day Parade. The day before T&S decorated their hotwheels. We even bought a shiny green balloon guaranteed to last a week. Except Sydney was holding the balloon in the van on the way to the parade and took off the ribbon so the helium leaked out. T dragged the limpy balloon behind him anyway. It didn't take long for the crepe paper streamers to look equally sodden so the look sort of meshed.

Here the kids are really rioting it up under the tent while we waited for the parade to start.


Soon, the police motorcade passed by and the parade officially began.



But not before Sydney had complained that she was dying of hunger. I mooched a granola bar off of a more prepared friend and then waited for the candy to supplement. Hillsboro parades might be one long walking commercial rather than beauty queens on crepe-papered-floats, but they sure know how to throw out candy. Kids all along the route come prepared with bags that would make Halloween jealous.

Much better.

Talmage rode his hotwheel almost the whole way: loops, backwards, bursts of speed. He looked like he was having a great time. Finally, just towards the end he abruptly stood up and declared, "I'm done." He pushed Syd in the stroller the final stretch.

I asked the preschool director (over there on the far right) how many referrals they got from the parade initiative. She said not that many. It was fun for us, though. Good exercise, too!