62nd Annual Warren, PA 4th of July Parade

The Warren, PA 62^nd annual 4^th of July parade was held today, and it was among the largest to date with 31 floats and a total of over 120 units. Folks got to see a mix of traditional parade type entries combined with some that were more modern and somewhat unique. Some of the sponsors including the Warren Jaycees included Blair Corporation, Whirley Industries, Walmart, and Northwest Savings Bank. There may have been other sponsors as well but those are the ones that stood out on in my mind. There were various youth organizations such as the Girl Scouts of Western Pa, The Chief Cornplanter Boy Scout Council, which from what I understand is among the oldest Boy Scout councils in the United States. There church groups, and volunteer type organizations. Some of my personal favorites though included the Zem Zem Hornets who have made regular appearances in the Warren, PA parade for most of my life, possibly longer. I was always fascinated with the idea that these great big guys could fit into those little go-carts, but nothing amazes me more then what I've learned about the Shriners and their work to help kids. Last year, 2008, I believe is when the Lawn chair Drill Team made its first appearance. While our own "Mr. Parade" had said last year he had thought it should be done by someone, I found that by doing a search for "Lawn chair drill team" it isn't exactly an original idea and that it has been done other places but I think that Warren might be the only parade to have it as what appears to be a new tradition in a fourth of July parade. I might be wrong on that, but it is something that is new to our area and I find it gives me a chuckle each time I see it. My understanding is that it was inspired by the long standing tradition folks have had of placing lawn chairs along the parade route which goes straight through the middle of downtown Warren, beginning as much as a week or maybe even two weeks prior to the day of the parade. Everyone wants the "best spot" and any good Warrenite knows that if you don't get your chairs out early you'll end up having to spend the parade in a spot that lacks shade or other perks. So Mr. Parade as he was named in the 2009 4^th of July parade by his classmates had encouraged others to create the Lawn chair Drill Team. You'll find marching bands from local schools and this year we were fortunate enough to have one of Canada's finest Drum and Bugle Corps. in our parade, The Preston Scout House Alumni Band came in from Cambridge, Ontario and after the parade, they performed for about an hour at Betts Park where the rest of the festivities are held each year. When I was a kid I remember there being at least a handful of Drum and Bugle Corps. In our parade, but over the years there have been fewer and fewer of them and it is one of the things I look forward to the most, I love the sound of a marching band whether it be teens or adults, there aren't many things that compare to the sound of a live marching band.... Except maybe the sound of a live bagpipe performance which could be cause for a tough choice if I were told to choose between them.

I think the strangest thing I saw in this year's parade was the appearance made by Santa .... And yes I mean the guy in the red suit that rides a sleigh pulled by eight reindeer. Well, except that he came into town riding a bright red 1951 Ford pickup truck wearing a t-shirt instead of the winter coat you would traditionally see him in. So what was the reason for Santa to be in town? Well, he was promoting the Warren Christmas Parade to be held later this year. Who knows, maybe he was checking to see how the kids behaved at this time of year ... hard to say for sure.

Overall I have to say that this year's parade was one of the more balanced I've seen in quite awhile. There was a period of time where I felt like I was watching a car show, and most of the cars were modern cars I saw all the time on the road, so I had grown bitter with regards to the parade. I'm ok with cars being in the parade but not to the point to where that's the bulk of the parade. This year was impressive in that there was a balance in terms of the car to band ratio or the number of dance teams and horses, it was a parade that I think that just about everyone could find something they enjoyed in it. Through today's parade I learned some things I didn't know and got ideas for other things I could write about. So not only was it entertaining, but it was in a sense inspiring, which is something I never thought I would use to describe any parade. I hope that future parades are as good or better then this year's parade.

Many thanks to the Warren Jaycees and the countless other sponsors, volunteers and other participants who make the Warren, PA 4^th of July celebration a reality each year.