Parade Report 2012

Who said Hoosiers were fat?

There is, in Indiana, a law that states "grandmothers are required to attend any and all demonstrations of musical proficiency, sports agility, and any or all other events involving talent in any form or quantity by any of their grandchildren." (Indiana Code 43-7.06) The law was enacted in 1943 when it was discovered grandmothers were not attending zero-degree high school football games. They were, instead, sitting home by the fireplace with quilts over their knees, pretending to sew them.

So I got caught yesterday. My daughter showed up  before my second cup of coffee and dragged me to the Annual Downtown Madison Christmas Parade. My grandson was to play trumpet in the high school band. Actually, I like band music, and the uniforms are usually very sharp, so I went without protest. What a rip-off! As the band passed us they held their instruments to their chests and marched by in silence. They left their uniforms in the band room and instead wore sweatshirts with girly scrolly stuff on the front. $20 says those guys will never wear those shirts again. They'd rather wear their sisters' skirts. Make no mistake, I admire these students for giving up their Saturday morning for grandmothers, I just wish they weren't forced to dress like them.

Holy smokes! Did I pay that speeding ticket?

We don't have too many exciting entries in our parades, so we always start with law enforcement showing off their rolling stock. Even with their sirens going at full tilt it's hard to stay awake. Before we get to see the parade we also have to clap and cheer for the snow plow, the street sweeper, and four utility trucks. To make them Christmasy, the drivers often wear Santa hats.

By the time the Oscar Mayer Wiener car drove by, we were ready for excitement. This parade-goer was overwhelmed with emotion. After I took this photo he turned toward the street and with tears in his eyes, and his hand on his chest, sang loudly,
"Oh, I wish I were an Oscar Mayer wiener."
Those of us nearby were overcome with hometown pride. We gave this guy a big group hug. He smelled like maple syrup.