Live Entertainment

I was thinking about small towns (and not so small) and what brings the community together. Many times people gather to watch their neighbors walk, march, or otherwise move down the local streets. This activity is generally known as a "PARADE."

Of course, not all parades are populated with local residents. Notice the circus wagon with large cats being pulled by horses. Some parades, such as the Great Circus Parade, are annual events with participants from around the world.

Having grown up (at least until I was "a young adult" and went to college) in a small town, I must admit that I love parades. And the ones in small towns (Midwest preferably) are the very best. Where else can you see a middle-aged woman sitting in a fake outhouse being pulled around the local community and waving at her friends. You have to love it!

Parades get all the attention. But the truth is the people who are in the parade have the very best views. When you attend your next parade, consider how you appear to those who are the parade participants. Can you measure up to the examples displayed here?

On the left the Great Circus Parade (Milwaukee, Wisconsin) 1990 in the rain. On the right the assembled crowd at an unidentified parade in Philadelphia in the late 1970s. What do they both have in common - it was a rainy day in both cases.

Where was the crowd the biggest? In the Midwest. That is why I love parades that are held in this region of our country - no matter what the weather or season.

"I love a parade, the rat-a-tat-tat ..."