- Watching the Colonial Boys, a local fife and drum corp, marching in full colonial uniforms despite the 90 degree heat and playing traditional patriotic songs (bonus points that the two flags on the drums are the American and Irish flags...I'm telling ya, this whole New England thing is starting to grow on me...)
- The Dad, holding his umpteenth month little boy, running up to a truck in the parade so they could hand him a flag, and everyone on the street standing and cheering for the little boy as the Dad ran back with him waving the flag and a huge smile across his face
- Seeing a cheerleading group marching in the parade who are "Cheering for a Cause"- to stop bullying
- Holding back giggles with the crowd as we watched a mixed-age historical marching band came through with their tiniest member (shorter than the flag pole she was trying to carry) trying to keep the marching beat without letting the flag knock her over- she may have been marching off beat but she didn't let that flag fall!
- The look on all the kids faces as freezer pops were thrown out to them from various trucks- eyes lighting up as big as saucers as they scurried to claim their frozen prize
- Watching the Police Chief walk down the street waving to people and shaking their hands
- Listening to the Fire Fighters lined up behind us as they spoke with passerbys and cheered on the parade floats (we missed the trucks coming through at the start)
- Smiling as nearly every person driving one of the floats yelled out hello to a friend or ten in the crowd, and as neighbors around us crossed to greet one another- realizing that this is the town where my husband's grandparents and parents grew up and where we will raise our family.
One of the "historical" fife and drum bands marching in our town's
July 4th parade- some of them were even marching barefoot!
