This is how Lebanon celebrates the holidays. We started the afternoon watching the parade from one of the back streets. Fewer spectators and a thinner crowd. As we were waiting a teacher I had worked with going back to the 70's recognized me from across the street and walked up to surprise me. Stuart and I came went across to watch with her and a friend of hers that had come. It was a wonderful surprise.
Along the back streets you didn't have as much crowd to look through and the streets are not as wide.
I tried for a video clip of two of the rigs. The clips are full of clip clops and harness bells but alas, I could not get them to load from iPhoto. I think I may have to post them differently than I did before. I will work on that......
After watching the parade, Stuart and I decided to walk over to the old school grounds were the staging area was and where most of the participants were hanging out and relaxing until time for the evening parade rolled around.
These guys were pretty cute. There driver said that they had belonged to her father. She raised quarter horses and had made fun of her father's interest...until she inherited the little guys. She said that it is so much fun, even when they were so very naughty as apparently they had been in the earlier parade. She said that they just know that you can't correct them right out in the middle of the street with everyone watching and then thinking that people are mean. Apparently they did had a little attitude adjustment back in the parking lot in preparation for a smoother performance in the evening.
While I was talking and taking their picture, her friend was photographing Stuart sitting quietly over on the grass upon request. "He's poising isn't he?" Yeah, will he was. He thought himself rather handsome and liked the attention.
On Monday, all this turns back into a school parking lot.
Good butt shot...
Heading back to the car, we watch one of the carriages heading over to the main street. They didn't get to rest up between parades as much. These guys were used to working the street, The motor cycles and cars did not phase them. And were all parade participants are required to have at least one "side walker" walking along with the carriage, these professionals worked the streets on their own.
"You are right, Stuart, that is no pony!"
After wandering around the staging area we headed back up towards the main street, in this case Broadway. The main street through Lebanon was designed to be wide enough to turn stages and carriages around with room to spare. It is a perfect setting for a modern parade. The street is lined with chairs reserving the front row seats for the evenings performance. By seven o'clock the sidewalks on both sides will be filled and hard pressed to let crowds even wander through. These two blocks remained blocked off all day. There was a stage set up between the blocks and local youth gave holiday performances with music and dancing.
The hotel on the corner is the Golden Lamb, famous tavern and stop on the original stage coach roads between Columbus and Cincinnati.
Another pair of professionals giving rides along the blocked off street to the parade crowds. They completed their turn in the wide street quite handily, as long as the strolling bystanders were paying attention and stayed out of their way.
So, it only took me a week to post last Saturday's pictures. No excuses, life is in the slow lane right about now. Getting oil changes on the Short Bus and the car and sending off for a new set of steps to replace the ones that got flattened. The boys make me leave the house from time to time to take them to read with the kids at the library and visit their friends at the nursing home. The have gotten used to both doing "ride-a-longs" every change they get.
They also had me take some pictures for the annual Christmas card that they hand out to their friends.
"Honest, Santa, we have been very good."
But the boys still miss their Big Red Elf....he is up there somewhere helping Santa this year.....
