This is what happens, if you were curious, when politicians attack:
We attended the annual Labor Day parade in our hometown on Monday. Apparently we’ve got the only Labor Day parade in the state, and so we were lucky enough to be visited by just about every politician and politician-hopeful on the State’s ballot. Stickers covered the kids’ shirts, front and back. We were loaded with flyers, fans, and lots of candy. Monday is the one day a year that I allow kids to pick candy up off the street and pop it in their mouth.
CandyMan can be a funny guy sometimes. He is particularly UNfond of parades and likes to complain about his boredom throughout. I believe that this was the second parade that we have attended together (Possibly more. I’m not counting a Disney parade or two in there somewhere). This year, we were compelled to go because Necco, daughter #2, was walking in the parade with her school.
Luckily, CandyMan found something to keep him plenty busy and entertained throughout the 2 hours. He made it his mission to get a picture with the Big Guys in Maryland politics. And unlike most other political events that I’ve seen (particularly in Washington DC) the men and women in office were very approachable (in fact, CandyMan simply walked up to each person, right in the middle of the parade, asked for a picture and mentioned that his wife was going to blog about this…Cracked me up!). He would have had more if some were not riding in cars or off at baseball games in another part of the state.
In the end, we came home with pictures of CandyMan with Martin O’Malley, the current Governor of Maryland, Congressman Chris Van Hollen, and Bob Ehrlich, former governor of Maryland.
I do believe that the Parade-Hater found something he enjoyed in the parade.
Politicians weren’t the only ones walking. We saw lots of friends playing in high school marching bands, clowns, beauty pageant princesses, Uncle Sam on stilts, etc….and my favorite–the Latin Dancers (click for pictures from 2008, plus a tasty recipe!).
I love living in a place that’s so diverse, I consider myself a minority in my own hometown. I love raising my kids here.
Do you attend a Labor Day parade? What’s your favorite thing to see in a parade?
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We’re doing a parade on Saturday. Peach Days. No politicians for us though – just lots of candy.
Love the photos of your kids and what a fun opportunity to teach them a little bit about civic engagement…No parades here in UT (that I am aware of). Everyone just goes boating or BBQing :)
Too funny!!
I love that my HUSBAND uses MY blog as an excuse to do something. I didn’t add that he spent the rest of the parade boasting, “I just wrote your post for you.”
As in….forever, forever? If it were up to my husband, we would never go. Luckily, he really likes our friends who live so close to the parade route, and is more motivated by good food and hanging out with friends than he is with the desire to avoid parades.
I think we were particularly bombarded with politicians because of election day coming up so soon. I’ve never seen quite so many!
And they didn’t even take all of the stickers. One of the little boys had even started collecting his shirt stickers in his sticker book.
I didn’t realize that parades didn’t happen everywhere. I know it’s silly but my hometown had regular parades, and now we live here, where the Labor Day parade is a 72 year tradition. And then it hit me–both my hometown and where I’m living now are home to the County Fair. Coincidence?
I would have enjoyed a 30 minute parade. Seriously. The beginning was especially slow. And a parade gets really boring after the first hour and a half!
No, we didn’t attend one! : ) There isn’t any around here. I LOVE that he used the POWER of your blog to get some politician hugs : ) That’s right Lolli! You have got POWER : )
It looks like tons of fun!
Holy cow. That’s a lot of political stickers. I haven’t taken my kids to a parade……..in………forever. :)
Our parade will filled with politicians too. I was rather disappointed by that.
The best thing about the parade, was my 2 year olds face as wave after wave of fire trucks, ambulances, and police cars drove by, sirens blazing. He was in little boy heaven.
Holey Politicians Batman!! That’s a whole lotta stickers lol!! Looks like an awesome parade! I love to see kids who decorate their wagons or bikes and ride in the parade, that would be my favorite
Oh my gosh how FUN!! we don’t have anything like that around here. NO parades we go Racing in Rock Island that’s about the extent of it
What an amazing looking parade!! We don’t have a Labor Day Parade :( We do have one for Memorial Day but it lasts like 30 minutes max!