But, parades aren't what they used to be. The total lack of floats was probably the most disappointing thing. In this parade where over 100 vehicles drove past us, I believe there were only 2 that could be called floats. One float was for some sort of serenity retreat and consisted of 3 yellow flowers with Oriental women rising up out of them in meditation. The other float was for some dance studio and featured participants performing Oriental dances. Apparently Asians are the only ones who can make floats anymore.
The other big disappointment was that people no longer threw candy from their floats/vehicles. Instead, there were people walking along the sidelines handing out the candy to the youngsters. Apparently this is common now as too many kids nationwide were being killed by running under vehicles in search of thrown candy. I guess I can understand the safety factor, but that was half the excitement of a parade when I was a kid was the race against other kids to pick up the candy.
Oh well - it was still better than nothing and my daughter enjoyed seeing all the old cars, firetrucks, and of course the Shriners.
* * *
This weekend I am taking my daughter to Cedar Rapids, Iowa - near my old stomping grounds - to see a minor league game between the Cedar Rapids Kernels and the Peoria Chiefs. The reason we are going is because Ryne Sandberg - my favorite player growing up and I still believe the best 2nd baseman of all time - is the new manager of the Chiefs this year. We have front row seats right behind the Chiefs dugout. This hopefully will be my second time shaking Ryno's hand as I once met him on a dinner cruise along Lake Michigan that the Cubs used to put on annually. The seats for the Kernel's game are considerably less than the seats on the dinner cruise were. Hopefully the memory will be just as priceless when he says hello to my daughter.
3 comments:
Levenhagen, you couldn't smooth a silk sheet if you had a hot date with a babe.. I lost my train of thought.
We went to a parade when we visited Red Bud about 2 weeks ago, and they still threw candy, cheap plastic necklaces, etc. Guess it was just the Lenexa group that decided to not throw the candy.
I agree, the fun WAS racing the other kids to the candy.
Hope you and Samantha have a great time at the Kernels vs. Chiefs game in Cedar Rapids. It's still one of the most fun things that you can do for a reasonable price.
Dad
I have been to a Kernals game before. The best thing about the game is- it is short.
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