Thursday, August 28, 2008 - Posts

Thursday, August 28, 2008 7:56 AM

Parade Day Perfection!

Normally, I don't love a parade.  Shocking, but somewhat true.  Parades have always been work for me.  In school, I was always up early on fall Saturdays, dressed in a hot uniform, and marching with the band... cursing my lack of height which always put me on the end of the saxophone row, where short legs had to make impossibly long strides while rounding street corners in formation.  Band kids always envied the kids who got to sleep in and kick back on parade days.  This year, parade day was different.

The weather for this year's Chase Co. Fair was PERFECT for a parade.  It was sunny, cool, and a little breezy.... a glimpse of fall.  Last year, we sweated it out as we waited for the parade to begin.  This year, we were prepared with full water bottles and dollar bills to buy more from the 4-H kids pulling little-red-wagonloads of bottled water through the parade staging area.  The cooler temperatures and low humidity allowed us to enjoy our staging time, admire fellow bikers' rides, and visit with other participants.

For the last two years, Imperial's main street has been under-going major renovations, and the parade route had to be moved to avoid the construction.  This year, we were back on the main drag!  Things went a lot smoother.  The wide streets had plenty of sidewalk room for the crowds.  Bikers could relax a little and not worry as much about kids darting too close to the bikes to grab a piece of candy.  This year's parade didn't have so much slow-and-go riding, and we were able to enjoy ourselves.  No bikes overheated.  We were behind a performance drill team, so occasionally we put the bikes in neutral and relaxed our hands on the clutch -- but not too many times.  No dodging of animal deposits or major potholes, just a few puddles -- altogether a pretty smooth event.

The Chase County Fair Parade is one of Chapter W's most "visible" group events for the year.  We make an effort to have a good turnout, show off our chapter colors with our vests and/or shirts, and hand out GWTA membership forms.  Some parades allow bikers to forgo their helmets during parade events, but I'm glad Chapter W chose to wear theirs.

This year, a bystander's medical condition resulted in an ambulance having to break into the parade to get to their patient in the crowd.  With all the usual honks, whistles, and sirens from the parade vehicles, it was hard to distinguish an actual siren alert from the festivities.  Chapter W's sweeper tracked the event in his rear-view mirror and communicated via his CB the need for a smooth shift to the right for our group of bikers.  The ambulance pulled over before reaching our group, but I think our ability to safely respond to the situation promptly and uniformly amidst some confusion impressed the crowd.  Way to go guys!  I love my headset!

After the parade, we lined up our bikes at the fairground entrance for the bike show.  This event gave people a chance to browse through the bikes, ask questions as we polished them up, and get to know who we are.  Hammy was especially taken with a little motorcycle on training wheels.  You could see other wheels turning in her brain.  (No, Hammy!  Absolutely not!)  We never really expect to win anything in the show, but we like showing off our rides, talking with people, and getting a prime parking spot for our bikes (and somebody to watch over them) while we enjoy our day at the fair. 

This year's fair got an A+ for their carnival.  It was a new vendor and their rides had something for everybody.  Hammy had finally reached a height which allowed her to ride almost everything.  Her first ride?  Mega Drop!  Brave girl!  I couldn't believe she ran straight to this one!  She liked it, but her eyes nearly popped out of their sockets on the ride down.  Once was enough this year.  Her favorite ride?  Zero Gravity -- you stand against the edge of a huge circle and the ride pins you against the side wall as it spins.  I'll stick with the ferris wheel and the giant slide.  Hammy's Runner up favorite?  Cliff Hanger.  I could handle this one -- strictly forward motion with a little vertical stuff.

We spent the whole day, touring vendor booths, letting Hammy loose with a friend and cousin at the carnival (She's graduated!!!), and enjoying our favorite fair foods with friends.  No fair is a fair unless you have at least a taste of a snow cone, funnel cake, and/or cotton candy.  Next year, we may have to add a fried dill pickle to that list -- they say it's good. 

Hammy would add one more "must-do" to her fair list.  Every year, she has her face painted like a cat then her hair sprayed blue and dusted with glitter.  Try picturing that face in a silver helmet with black leather chaps and jacket, on the back of a bike just after sunset.  Even better, imagine that face approaching you from the line of communicants during Saturday night services.  (Sorry, Father!)  Note to self:  Always bring a helmet liner for Hammy to put over her hair before donning her helmet after the fair.  Like I said, Chapter W's 2008 parade day was practically purrrrrrfection!
posted by U2Farmer with 0 Comments