"Would you like to ride with me?" he asked. Being in a parade was not a first choice activity for my introverted soul, but I decided to be a good sport. I planned to hide behind sunglasses and a big hat. You can see that I'm not really into the holiday spirit at this point.
As we waited in a line of cars for the parade to get underway, I had a chance to see how other El Pasoans were celebrating the 4th.
The El Paso Rhinos Ice Hockey mascot (Yes, we have an ice hockey team in El Paso.) was getting lots of attention from the younger set.
The owner of this '55 Chevy was very helpful in showing us the parade ropes. He recommended that we follow him.
This group straight out of "Nacho Libre" (a great movie!) was not shy about posing for a pic.
With the scream of police sirens and the tooting of horns, the parade was underway. All ages of El Pasoans lined the streets, some sitting in chairs, some perched on curbs, some standing, and almost everyone seeking shade from the desert sun. We had brought a large bag of wrapped candy to distribute to the crowd. It gave me something better to do than give a royal wave to the crowd.
Lots of really cute little kids waited eagerly for the tossed candy and ran out to scoop it up in various containers. One optimistic young man brought two good sized empty Easter baskets to save his loot. Some groups called out, "Candy, candy", but we tried to find the shyer children to shower with sweets. One grandmother went for the candy herself and motioned for a nearby child to back off!
We heard cries of "Happy 4th," "Thank you," and "Nice car, mister" all along the route.
The 4th of July. A great time for community to join together for a few hours of sharing. I was happy to be part of it.
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