Parade Day

As always, we have our parade on July 3rd, and it was hot!  When we left it was about 95°.  I think it was five years ago when we were wearing winter coats because it was only about 60° so I guess I shouldn't complain.  It was also nice to have some adults to talk to for a change.

Alison got lucky because one of her old friends from Riverside ended up sitting with us.  We weren't sure if they were going to come or not, but Paulette called Kris Sunday night and they ended up sitting with us.  I think that we've sat with the Oskarssons and the Clintons for the last four years now. 

The parade started at 7:00  but by the time it got to us it was about 7:30.  Everything was going smoothly, and then about 15-20 minutes in there was a large gap.  We were all joking about the parade being quick this year, and then we saw why.  The Governor, Scott Walker, was walking the parade route.  This was a surprise because he was not on the schedule of people in the parade.  People were walking out of the crowd, to shake his hand, thank him, and have their picture taken with him.

Alison said she wanted to get his picture, and I told her that if he slowed down, to run out and I would take her picture.  This is what I got.  Ali's friend, Olivia, her mom, Paulette, and Alison. 

We actually had all the Republican candidates for the WI Senate seat that is up for grabs this fall too.  And we were able to show Alison the previous governor, and probably the most popular governor in the state's history Tommy Thompson.

The Falls cheerleaders were a little past halfway in the lineup.  They were all very hot and sweaty by the time they got to us. 

I didn't take any pictures of fireworks this year, mostly because by the time the parade was done, I just wanted to get everything ready to go as soon as the fireworks were over because Kris had to work on the next day.  We got lucky and were out of the parking lot and home about 10 minutes after the fireworks ended.  For some reason, it didn't seem as crowded this year either for the parade, or for the fireworks.  If it were like the every year, I wouldn't mind going to the parade, well except for having to sit and wait to stake off a spot to sit.  but I will say, if I could get that same spot every year, I would be a happy camper.

Staking Off A Spot

Once again it is that time of year.  That time where I have to sit out in the hot sun for 4-5 hours so I can sake off a spot for the Menomonee Falls Independence Day parade.  We were hoping that this year we could skip the parade, but since Sarah is a cheerleader, they are walking in the parade so we figured we'd have to be there to drop her off and pick her up anyway.  Plus, some of the other cheer parents wanted to all sit together, so I said I would go sit out again. 

This year I managed to snag a large spot right near the end of the parade route.  It's nice because once the parade is done, we just have to turn our chairs around to see the fireworks.  There will be no worrying about having to go look for a good spot to see the fireworks, because we'll have one of the best spots already.  Bonus!

Parade 2010

The annual Menomonee Falls parade went off as it does every year. And every year, it pains me to have to sit and try and stake off a spot ahead of time. But the parade itself was pretty good. lots of bands, lots of flags, firetrucks, people throwing candy... I suppose it was worth it. We sat and watched, talked with friends and the kids all had a good time. I was even nice enough to let a little boy come sit down on the curb.




We heard about a nasty incident a few years ago where some crazy parents went off because a little girl tried to squeeze up front to see the parade. It almost came to blows as the parents went back and forth about their "spot". Ridiculous! It's just a freaking parade! And if you can't let a little kid squeeze up front to see the fun, then there is something seriously wrong.




The only drawback was that we didn't really have a good spot afterward for the fireworks. We just moved out chairs across the street since the fireworks were being shot off directly behind where we were sitting, but we had houses and trees behind us. We figured we would be able to see pretty well just by going across the street. The only problem was that the fireworks weren't shot high enough. We saw most of them, but there were some that didn't clear the trees. I guess we'll plan a little better next year.

That Time Again

It is time for the annual dash for spots along the Menomonee Falls Independence Day Parade route. We are going to sit with a couple other families this year so I wanted to make sure we got a decent spot and had enough room for everyone. The way I figure it, we'll have about 25 people sitting in our group.

I got off of wort at 5:00 and decided I should try and see what it looked like along the route already, so I drove home along the parade route. It's a good thing I did. I wasn't planning on going out until about 6:00, but at 5:15, spots were being taken quickly. Technically parade goers are not allowed to stake off spots until 7:00 PM the night before, but people were sitting in front of the areas they were planning on claiming with their materials for staking off their spots... stakes, string, ropes, tape, etc. So as soon as I got home I changed and just got back in my car and drove back to sit and wait. I found a spot that I think is large enough about 10 feet down from where we were sitting last year. Not too shabby, and I didn't have to fight anyone for the spot (I wouldn't have but it sounds good to say I was ready to throw down.)

Pictures and a report of the parade and fireworks to follow.

Winter Wonderland

Last night was the annual Menomonee Falls Christmas parade, and as we have for the past 3 years, the Riverside Girl Scouts marched. So after watching the Packers blow yet another game in the final two minutes, we set out for the parade. The snow was coming down nice and heavy, but hey, what more could you ask for, it’s a Christmas Parade right? Well it was miserable! It wasn’t a nice snowfall with big flakes coming down softly. It was more like a mixture of frozen rain and snow. Plus, the temperature was right at freezing so it was half melting and half icing over.

And to top it off, there was about a 20 mph wind blowing, so the flakes that were hitting you in the face actually sort of stung. The parade didn’t start until 4:30 p.m., and we had to be there at 3:45. By the time we started walking, it was probably 4:45 or 5:00, so we got to stand around on the street in the staging area for a good hour beforehand. By the time we finished walking, we were soaked and freezing. The hot chocolate when we got home really hit the spot!



Some of the parade-goers decided to pass their time by building a snowman.


Riverside's Daisies carrying the girl scout banner.


Troop 2671 getting ready for the parade.