My feet hurt, my shoulders are sore, and it’s been another year in the Every-Single-Jewish-Organization-From-Here-To-West-Jupiter-Sends-Someone Parade. (Next year I’m definately eating a full breakfast. Next year I’m not going to be taking a final at nine in the morning instead of having a full breakfast). So this seems the time to ask- ever been in a parade? When, where, why?
I was in marching band in high school. I was in many parades wearing a wool uniform in South Florida weather. Ugh. Still, I enjoyed it and I’m glad I was there.
This, only not in Florida. The longest parade we did was the Holland Tulip Festival.
People don’t give enough credit to band nerds.
Yup. My girl scout troop carried banners for various companies during parades. I don’t remember what any of them said, but I know that they mostly had nothing to do with girl scouts.
The first time I did that, actually, was with my older sister’s girl scout troop, and I HATED it. The parade was being broadcast on TV, see, and when I was a kid I found the idea of being on TV completely abhorrent. Dunno why, I guess I felt it was an invasion of my privacy or something. So somewhere there’s some stock footage of little!me scowling at a passing camera. 
There’s a reason for that, you know. (My Debate team keeps threatening to order t-shirts that say Speech Geek - Hey, at least we’re not band nerds!)
I’ve marched in a few, and ridden in a few. Riding is more fun.
In a city anniversary parade as part of rec-center baton twirling class (early elementary school age)
Yeah for band nerds! High school marching band. Marched in the Cotton Bowl Parade one year and also performed in the half-time show during the game. I was an oboe player and I had to march carrying a flute. (Oboes and bassoons not allowed to march with their instruments after a bassoon player got bumped and rammed the bassoon reed into the roof of his mouth!)
I grew up in a small town and was a band nerd to boot. There wasn’t a parade that I wasn’t in for a few years.
I’ll have to agree with silenus though, riding is more fun.
Once in a school band. Then many, many times in the military at change of command ceremonies. Those are really pass-and-review maneuvers and are a relief after standing still for an hour or two. I was in one actual parade in Santa Barbara in a military formation: we got volunteered.
Many times. As a member of Cub Scouts, then Boy Scouts, then my high school Marching Band I’ve been in plenty of town parades.
And then a few years ago we were in Boston for First Night celebration, and they asked us if we wanted to be members of the parade. So naturally, we accepted.
I was in high school ROTC and had to march in various civic parades. I was also in a few parades with the Census Bureau, but we’d lash our banner onto a co-worker’s minivan and just ride and wave out the open doors.
I was a high school senior. On the day of the homecoming parade, I went early. I parked near the spot where the parade started, and hung aroundwith a couple of friends, watching the bands get organized, and people doing last-minute touches to the floats.
A girl walked up to us. We had had a few classes together, and I knew that she was on the Student Council, and it turned out that she was also on the homecoming committee. She handed us a big piece of cloth, and asked if we would carry it. It turned out to be a banner that said “[name of school] [year] Homecoming”.
So, at the last possible minute, my friends and I got drafted to lead the parade. (Well, almost. We were right behind the JROTC color guard.)
One year, during college, I was standing by the street watching the homecoming parade. A float passed by, sponsored by one of the student clubs. I was not actually a member of the club, but most of them were friends of mine. Two of them pulled me off the curb, and had me walk with them alongside the float. So, once again, I was drafted.
I was in Girl Guides in a small town, so of course! We had a float in both the summer and Santa Claus parades and I was in it every year. When I moved to thebig city I was in the Santa Claus parade a couple times (also with Girl Guides). They no longer have a parade now though. 
Another Girl Scout parade walker here. Not that small a town, but still . . .
Our school district had an all-school Concert Band. My graduating year, we got talked into playing for the parade that opened the Agricultural Fair in mid-June. We sat on a large flat bed truck. I had to play one of the fiberglass Sousaphones that the band had acquired years back, for reasons that nobody knew. It was fine, although it was painful to try and tune every note on a three valve piece of crap. Then, on the ride back home, the truck driver got to go the speed limit for the first time all afternoon. I could feel the wind start to catch the bell of the Sousaphone. The next thing I knew, I was propelled inexorably backwards to the edge of the truck. The only thing that kept me from dropping off into traffic was a braided nylon rope. It was a pretty harrowing five minutes until we got back to the rehearsal hall…
I played trumpet in our high school marching band and, with many other bands, played “Seventy-Six Trombones” in Mason City, IA (River City) at the premier showing of Meredith Wilson’s film.
Our uniforms were woolen also. The parade routes were longer, no spray bottles of water were offered and no bus followed us in case someone had heat stroke. We were definitely made of sterner stuff than the delicate kids marching these days. Heh. Or maybe our parents were just less litigious.
Since then I have skateboarded in an annual hometown kiddy parade, marched with Red Hat Ladies, my son’s Scout troop, ride in an annual motorcycle safety awareness parade and most years ride in the City Emergency Management truck with my husband for our post July Four parade. (He won’t let me wear my clown costume, though. Sternly says “Emergency Management is serious stuff.”)
“I love a parade. . .”
Hope you soak your feet and soon are feeling rested, OP.
Back in the fall of 1978, I had my first horse and had him boarded at a stable in a small rural town. They had an honest to god founder’s day parade, and the stable owners arranged for anyone that wanted to to ride in the parade. They ordered us all matching shirts with the stable name on them and about 8 of us rode in it. It was FUN! The parade ended at the city park, where there was a big BBQ going on. We hung around all day, eating good BBQ and giving horse rides to the kids in town.
One of my fondest memories, actually.
I marched in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade mere hours after I had broken my nose. Ha, beat that! 
I was in July 4th parades as a Girl Scout, and once walked with my company as an adult. When my girls were young they were in a program called Georgia’s Youth on Parade where they learned choreographed baton and pompom routines. They got to march in several small town parades and also the Peach Bowl Parade in Atlanta.
I was in a parade every year I was in Cub Scouts.