I love a parade. Especially when we have front row seats! And perfect weather!

The population of Enumclaw, Washington is 12,700, and they all seemed to show up for the town’s Fourth of July parade this week. At least, it seemed like it. Apparently, most of the town’s citizenry don’t like to stay home when they could be present for such a monumentally theatrical occasion.

From our household, it was just daughter Susy, son Matthew, and me. Here we are, with Susy and Matt in their trusty Fitzpatrick Construction caps and me in sun hat, with our chairs dolled up for the occasion and flags a’waving.

In Seattle, the parades we used to go to were extravaganzas. Jaw-dropping floats, spit-and-polish marching bands, beauty queens, fierce pirates, nutty clowns, all kinds of zany contrivances, sound effects, and dazzling special effects.

That wouldn’t describe the Enumclaw Fourth of July parade. Enumclaw’s version was patriotic, homemade, and corny as all get-out, and I loved it! What it lacked in dazzle, it made up for in an infectious kind of enthusiasm.

The common denominator among the participants – and the spectators too – were the giddy grins on their faces. And just because they were part of the show, didn’t mean the participants couldn’t halt their progress in the parade to run over to visit with friends or neighbors they might spot on the sidelines.

As for the All American fashion show we were exposed to, it was hard to tell beforehand who was a parade participant and who was a spectator. You would have a hard time finding the real Uncle Sam among us, because the fashion seen everywhere was so red-white-and-blue, even on the wide-eyed babies who were as engaged in the spectacle as everybody else.

To me, the most spectacular part of the whole event was the “audience”. Apparently, when one comes to the parade in Enumclaw, nobody plans to be standing around fidgeting on one foot and then the other. No, indeed. Instead, one comes equipped with sunshade canopies, folding camp chairs, coolers to keep their beverages cold, little grills for their barbecue snacks and every conceivable form of wheeled car bed, playpen, or Johnny Jump Up for the little persons.

Susy, Matt, and I all arrived an hour early, but a pretty big crowd was already in place and had staked out their territory. We were sure we’d be stuck far back of the spectators or would have to make our way to the end of the parade route. But No! We could hardly believe it! Somebody pointed Susy to a sign under a canopied section reading “For disabled guests or those in wheelchairs.” Eureka! We had found the best seats in the house!

And thus it was, that we watched that wonderful show put on by Small Town America. The parade proudly featured 50 “floats”, and it took nearly an hour till they all completed their journey through the parade route.

According the town’s Courier Herald, the Chamber of Commerce had to limit the number of “floats” that could appear in the parade. because there had been 100 in the previous Christmas parade. It seems that it was bitterly cold that day, and there were numerous complaints that the parade took too long. Because, of course, no matter how chilly they got, and no matter what other adverse conditions the Enumclaw fairgoers might face, they wouldn’t have the good sense to give up and go home to get thawed out. No, they would have been stoically determined to see it through to its frigid conclusion.

Here’s more from the town’s Courier Herald newspaper about the event.

https://www.courierherald.com/life/chamber-hosts-another-successful-and-this-time-shorter-independence-day-parade/