I love a parade! 

I love a parade!

Growing up in Steamboat Springs, parades were a big part of our lives. Most everyone in town was part of the Winter Carnival parade (on skis in diamond hitches) in February and the Fourth of July parade each summer. Being involved in politics, my wife, kids, dogs and I have walked with candidates in Aurora, Denver, Wheat Ridge, Edgewater, Evergreen, Idaho Springs and Golden. We?re going to be in Georgetown’s parade on the Fourth of July this year.

We’ve been to the Holiday Bowl Parade in San Diego and the Liberty Bowl Parade in Memphis. We’ve witnessed the St. Patrick’s Day parade in Philadelphia and the Main Street parades at both Disneyland and Disney World. Weve stood frozen for the Parade of Lights to kick off the holiday season in downtown Denver.

Someday we’ll get to the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York and the Rose Bowl Parade in Pasadena. But as spectacular as the major-production parades are, there is something much more special about a small-town parade.

One year when I was in high school, my mother and I got stopped at the town limits trying to drive through Kremmling for the annual town parade. U.S. 40 was closed for 107 floats to make their way through town. I think the population at the time was about 700. We figured some of the people in the parade had to hurry back to the starting line to be on multiple floats and wondered if there was anyone left to watch. Kids in Oak Creek bring pillowcases to the Labor Day Parade, as there is just too much candy to carry away in paper or plastic bags.

Evergreen’s annual parade is this Saturday. It will have a little bit of everything. There will be rodeo royalty. There will be horses. There will be music. There will be a display of the best and latest heavy equipment. There will be a chance to collect all kinds of goodies given away by parade participants in addition to the opportunity to buy all kinds of things you simply cannot live without.

But more than anything, people watching the parade will see their friends and neighbors and vice versa. Parade participants spend a lot of time trying to make sure their entries are fun and creative. My favorite entry in the Evergreen Parade was when the folks at Life Care Center of Evergreen decorated each wheelchair as a covered wagon, and each person dressed as a homesteading pioneer a few years ago.

The parade starts at 10 a.m., but if you want a good spot to put a chair and see everything well, you’ll stake out your area at least an hour before that.

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