Small Town Parade

Happy Fourth! We didn’t want to miss our local Independence Day parade. Anacortes has a reputation for being a bit odd, and I think you’ll see the evidence here. The town is pretty laid back, too. From senior citizens in wheelchairs to toddlers driving tiny cars – and let’s not leave out dogs dressed as lions – everyone is happy to keep it simple and low key – no self-conscious displays of power or anything else. Let’s just have a good time. And throw me some candy while you’re at it!














I threw this post together quickly….the pictures needed to get out there before it’s over. Those of you in the US are probably already barbecuing by now or on your way to watch fireworks. Some of you will watch from a rooftop, some from a beach, some in the back yard. Those of you outside the US are probably asleep already and won’t see this until tomorrow, but no matter.

A few American traditions have already wrapped – on Coney Island, Joey “Jaws” Chestnut won the Nathan’s hot dog eating contest by scarfing down 71 of ’em. Yum. In small towns and big cities the parades are over, ball games are being played, beaches are crowded. We’ve heard from several relatives and friends today. Everyone’s fine.

We’ll skip the tanks, thank you, and we’ll be fine too.

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56 comments

  3. Oh, yes. What a great way to show pride in the ‘real America’. Love it all but my heart has a special place for the Walkers. Than you and all the participants, active and on- lookers for renewing an old man’ s joy in the 4th of July.

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  4. That’s what a parade should look like and holds more significance than any show of might. Celebrating each other and our ties together. Thanks for sharing your neighbors, Lynn.
    It’s been decades since my last small town parade save for one a while back in Northern New Hampshire. I was there for the North Country Moose Festival (the animal, not the brotherly order) and one of the features was a parade of Farmall tractors. Way cool. All waxed up and pretty with a proud farmer driving each one.

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    • Yes, I can picture the tractors! There was only one in this parade, but in the Christmas parade there was a group of Santas on tractors driving around and around in circles. It was very cool. Maybe the tractors are all too busy right now to attend a parade. Closer to where we used to live (and closer to Seattle actually) there’s an annual Tractor Show that is amazing. I bet the Moose Festival was like nothing else!
      Thanks for the comment, Steve!

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      • The only moose in attendance at the parade were on people’s shirts and hats. Not even a moose costume to be seen. 🙂 It was fun to experience with one problem. I was there with a friend who specializes in moose photography to set up tents and hopefully make sales. He did well, me not so much as I had exactly one moose image and had never been to Pittsburg, NH before so nothing local either. But the real downer was the rain storm the first night. I had a nice pop up tent but didn’t know that it wasn’t waterproof and hadn’t sealed the seams. Small disaster as a couple of frames got wet but on the whole a nice weekend.

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    • Not entirely – there were people running for office who marched, but it was very low key. There were businesses, non-profits, clubs, people running for office, and just normal people all together, no particular order or emphasis. 🙂

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  8. How sweet is this! It is a bit like German carnival parades, but less noisy (so it seems) and more like a family birthday party in the street.
    As I’ve just finished reading Independence Day by Richard Ford, you give me the movie to the book.

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  11. This is what it should be! I too smiled broadly when I saw the walkers. And the dog lions. Not to mention the butterflies. What a wonderful motley procession. To me this is the true Americana and always will be. The rest… No tanks.

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  12. Life, liberty, pursuit of happiness, some really eye-catching butterfly outfits – -looks like your town knows how to do these things up right. We always have the tractors & dogs for Memorial Day, the synchronized walkers is a great idea!
    Happy 4th, the experiment continues

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  13. It looks like a lot of fun Lynn! And it is very interesting to read the comments! I didn’t know how the 4th of July is celebrated in the US and I am glad you gave me some insight. I did understand, that the other “celebration” (or can I say orchestration?) was from a different kind. I prefer this one, familiar, relaxed, funny, pleasure! It looks pretty lively. Thank you for showing!

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  14. LOL!!! >>> odd = wonderful, characterful, imaginative – great stuff! And yes, no tanks – I hear that that tank show cost 2.5 million dollars, and many can no doubt think of thousands of ways in which such funds could be better spent on the unfortunates of The States, in just the same way that maintaining our Royal Family here squanders money that might be far better spent on those of our “Great Nation’s” kids that live in poverty or have disabilities or both. My friend, what a world we live in, eh?, what a world! A 🙂

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    • Oh, I don’t know if they’re marvelous, Karl, but I thank you. 😉 It was quite humanistic, actually, with the variety of people and the almost-anything-goes atmosphere. There was no pretense or posturing, which is good in these days of too much media and politics (is it OK for me to say too much media to you?) 😉 I’m glad you enjoyed it – thank you!

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  20. What wonderful photos, Lynn! Our town’s parade was essentially a mix of decorated tricycles, bicycles,and golf carts, but it was just as much fun. I grinned at the ladies with their walkers. In a suburb of Austin, some men put together a lawn chair drill team — what’s not to like? I had no idea what the population of Anacortes was, and it truly is a small town compared to ours. On the other hand, one small town aspect of our celebrations is especially delightful. Every year, the Mayor and City Council serve up hot dogs, cotton candy, lemonade, and ice cream during a Citizen Appreciation Picnic. I’ve never seen anyone frowning at that event, and I’ll bet no one frowned during your parade, either!

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    • Oh, decorated tricycles, I like it! I wonder why we didn’t have any of those? And Citizen Appreciation Picnic is an excellent idea that should be picked up in lots of small towns (oh, can you imagine trying to pull that one off in NYC?). You’re right, I really didn’t see frowns….how refreshing was that? 😉 I’m glad you liked the post, Linda, and thanks for telling me about the local customs too.

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  21. Love love love small town parades – they have a charm missing in the big city versions. Since my dad’s birthday was on the 4th, we sometimes held our own parade with musician friends, students, and musically inclined neighbors. Some of my best childhood memories, which were all brought back by your photos, Lynn. Thanks!!!

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