Monday, July 8, 2013

Mountain town parade

My parents are new residents in a little town in the North Carolina mountains called Todd. It is small. It is beautiful. It has crazy amazing parades. (Pictured below is my niece about to experience the best parade ever.)


I used to be a small-town reporter. I have seen many more parades than most normal people. (Yes. I used to write about parades at least three times a year. The Cat Square Christmas Parade is especially epic.) I know what to expect from parades. They have marching bands and old-fashioned cars with beauty queens on them and kids clogging. This is what makes a parade. But, oh no, Todd offered something completely different and totally magical, and my mind was pretty much blown.


There was not a marching band in sight. No Shriners. No church floats. What was there? A whole lot of beauty, and beyond that, I'm having trouble explaining it. 

There was lots of color and a little bit of drum playing and these huge paper-mache-looking-puppet-esque contraptions that were absolutely mesmerizing. I think the parade was representing the four elements? When everyone walked together down the street it looked so communal and absolutely magical. 


Everything was moving. People were smiling. This town obviously has some whimsical artists up in it. (I knew I loved this town. I think my parents basically bought a home in Sicily, Alaska.) I think Fire is pictured above. He's looking good!


Each creature looked amazing (check out that bear!), and they all had celebrants surrounding them. Everyone was enchanted. I was totally, wonderfully shocked by it. Sometimes it's good to go to something with low expectations! My parents loved it, my niece and nephew loved it, and I loved it. Three generations of love!


The parade ended in a field/park kind of place, and then everyone boogied down. As in: that giant bear was breaking it down summer-time style. It has been insanely rainy all over the state for the past week, and I love that there was enough of a break in the rain for these magical paper creatures to come out, show off and enjoy a dance.

4 comments:

Shybiker said...

Wow! How cool. I love parades with artistic aspirations, like this one and the Mermaid Parade in Coney Island. It's fun to see people let their imagination go wild.

Vix said...

That looks incredible, I love those floats and the effort that's gone into them! x

Becky said...

That is pure magic!

Teddi said...

oh my wow! i bet they were even better in person. for you, great 3 times a year, parade goer, to be awed really says something. the low expectations philosophy definitely has some validity.