Me and my immediate family, we’re parade hardy people. Not on purpose. Every time I’ve marched in a parade, it just sorta happened. My BFF in high school’s mom was a seamstress with the ILGWU. One day me and her were hanging together, doing nothing when her mom comes out with these peasant costumes which featured a ‘union lable’ patterned fabric, one for me and one for her daughter. Before I knew it, I was in the big NYC Labor Day Parade in Manhattan in costume.
Another time, when I was much younger, they gathered up a bunch of us Puerto Rican 3rd graders, lined us up and marched us down The Grand Concourse in the Puerto Rican Day Parade. We were featured on TV (PIX, I believe) for having the worlds crookedest line.
For 3 summers my daugther was in a steel drum band. She was in more parades than me. My son played trumpet in Brooklyn Tech’s marching band. We paid a whole lot for those terrible clothes-- we made sure he got his money’s worth out of them. My husband has been in Prospect Park’s float in Brooklyn’s West Indian Day Parade-- which has grown even bigger than Manhattan’s Labor Day one.
Now I’m wondering if that makes us weird or does everybody march in parades?
My high school had Army JROTC, and I marched in several parades as part of the brigade drill team.
Nowadays I could march a couple times a year, either with SubVets or with the SCA, but I always work on parade days (either they’re on weekends, or on holidays when I get paid time and a half).
I marched in a couple of parades when I was a kid, maybe 5-8 years old. My parents were involved with the local Chidren’s Home Society, and they participated in parades here in town. I recall marching in a Christmas parade with them one year, and I believe there were one or two others as well.
I was in the hometown forth of July parade with my martial arts school.
In Cameroon, I marched in many, many parades…Teacher’s Day, Women’s Day, Youth Day, Labor Day…Cameroonians love a good parade, and it’s pretty much the standard way to start any holiday.
Marched in the Pride Parade in DC this year with the Peace Corps group.
Was in marching band in HS, and asst Drum Major one year. After college joined a bagpipe band and was in a boatload of parades over the years. Lot of fun, even on the hot days wearing a couple of layers of wool (well, except for that one in high school where I ended up with a heat rash in my crotch, which was very noticeable the next day swimming in the ocean – ow! ow! ow!).
A few in Girl Scouts. More recently, when I worked for the local newspaper(it’s a big newspaper, it just happens to be local) I was one of the crew that got to hold the strings of one of those huge balloons. It’ s a bit harder than it looks! I also rode the float and sang in the Christmas parade for the same paper.
I was on a couple floats when I was a kid, and during the last decade fellow employees and volunteers have marched in the Pride parade, lobbing Tootsie Rolls at people using litter scoops and litter pans as containers. (It’s a feline rescue) Loads of fun!
My answer of Yes, and “I didn’t want to” takes a bit of explanation.
The first parade I was in was at the Air Force OTS in San Antonio - we had to march by at our commissioning ceremony, but I was proud since family members were in the audience, and a pretty young woman pinned on my gold bars.
Several years later, I found myself first as the junior officer picked to act as the squadron commander and lead our squadron around the parade field…and somewhat later I acted as the parade adjutant at MacDill Air Force Base. That is the fellow who stands out in the middle of the parade ground and “runs” the parade. After calling the squadrons to attention,my first command would be “Column of Squadrons, Right Squadron, Pass in Review” or some such thing. We had lots of flag ranked officers that retired while stationed there, and I think I must have been in a number of parades. Can’t say I enjoyed this, but the Air Force didn’t require my enjoyment. I can say that I did feel proud to be in the parade, and tried to be as sharp as possible.
I had to march in a parade for work one time. Well, marching was too strong a word, mostly I ran behind some kids carrying our company’s banner and handed out candy to everyone, all while dodging horse turds in the road. Somehow we got the slot in the parade right behind all the horses. Not fun.
My aunt through marriage was incharge of the cheerleading team for the city my uncle lived in. It was really serious stuff (Note: more serious that it should have been!). They had gone to the state a few times. I was about 8. I used to always go to practice with her. Well, my mom and my aunt decided it would be great idea to have me march with the team in a 2.5 mile parade. :eek: At the end, I had a massive wedgie, my feet hurt, I was hungry, and I had to pee. To add insult to injury, when I told my teacher about a week later. Remember when it used to take forever to develop pictures? Well, I wanted to show her and everyone in my class pictures of the parade. The cheerleaders wore gray polos and blue shorts with their squad’s name. I was too little to fit into them. So, I wore rainbow colored shorts and a t-shirt with an icecream cone on it. My teacher said I looked like a ragamuffin and everyone laughed at me. First and last parade.
I would love be in a GLBT parade. Those always seem like fun.
To add insult to injury, when I told my teacher about a week later. Remember when it used to take forever to develop pictures? Well, I wanted to show her and everyone in my class pictures of the parade. The cheerleaders wore gray polos and blue shorts with their squad’s name. I was too little to fit into them. So, I wore rainbow colored shorts and a t-shirt with an icecream cone on it. My teacher said I looked like a ragamuffin and everyone laughed at me.