No Kissing the Soldiers at Savannah's St. Patrick's Parade

From the March 11, 2017, Chicago Tribune  "Army:  No kissing parading soldiers on St. Patrick's Day" by Russ Bynum, AP.

Well, the Army says that makes the soldiers look unprofessional.  So,  not sure how they will stop it.  "Duck and cover?"  No word from them as to what they will do if a gal gets in close for a kiss.

Anyway, Savannah, Georgia,'s  St. Patrick's parade and celebration is legendary, right up there after Mardi Gras in New Orleans.  Roughly 200 soldiers from nearby Fort Stewart will be taking part in the parade this Saturday.

Organizers say that as many as 500,000 revelers will be downtown this weekend in Georgia's oldest city.

Irish immigrants (they didn't all go to New York City and Boston) and their descendants have marched in the St. Patrick's parade since 1824.

And, It's a Real Big Parade.  OK, Girls, Put Away the Lipstick.  --CootRish

Ten Things You Might Not Know About Unions-- Part 5: Most Unionized Countries and Chicago Parade

8.  The Nordic countries of Iceland, Finland, Sweden, Denmark and Norway are five of the six MOST UNIONIZED nations in the world according to 2012 data.  A whopping 82.6% of Iceland's workers are union members.

9.  CHICAGO has hosted huge Labor Day parades.  On September 1, 1902, more than 42,000 laborers in more than 200 unions marched in a procession that took five hours to pass the reviewing stand.  Some of the unions were listed by the Chicago Tribune:  gravel roofers, elevator constructors, steamfitters, boxmakers, hat finishers, soda water bottlers, chandelier makers, bakers, granite carvers, cracker packers, barbers, mosaic tile layers, longshoremen, sign painters, egg inspectors and bootblacks.

Some interesting unions.

--DaGraniteCoot

Looking Back: DeKalb County, Il., 50 Years Ago: 2nd Annual Sycamore Pumpkin Festival

OCTOBER 23, 1963

Sycamore's second annual Halloween Pumpkin Festival, sponsored by the Sycamore Lions Club, will be rewarded with an appearance  on a TV show, and in color, too.

Two of the children whose pumpkin exhibits are deemed worthy will be chosen Sunday evening, Oct. 27, to appear on the Top O' the Morning WGN-TV program in color on Monday morning, Oct. 28.  (Color TV a big deal back then.  OK, kids, get to carving those pumpkins!!  They still have the Pumpkin Festival in Sycamore.)

The Sycamore Halloween Pumpkin Festival will begin with a parade made up entirely different from that for the high school homecoming.  There will be few, if any, floats, but there may be some nerve-shattering costumes designed to scare the wits out of the timid or bring tummy-wobbling laughter.

(The parade is now probably the highlight of the festival and one of the biggest in northern Illinois.  It is held on the Sunday, the last day.)

Like, Boo!!  --DaCoot

I'll Be Watching "The Parade" and, Of Course, Those Bowl Games

I'll be firmly parked in front of that 55-inch HDTV in a little while. That size and color should make the whole Tournament of Roses Parade all the better. And, those floats. Wow! Each one is impressive. And, I am a big-time flower guy. The article I used for the last entries mentions that some of the more intricate floats start construction nine months earlier and that the flowers, all live ones, are hand-placed mostly by volunteers in the hours leading up to the parade.

Liz and I briefly considered going to the Poinsettia Bowl in San Diego the day after Christmas and then just hang around Southern California until Jan. 1st to see the parade, something I really want to do.

Also, I love the horse groups and, of course, the marching bands of which there will be twenty including the Salvation Army Tournament of Roses Marching Band which has been in every parade since 1920.

Another dozen marching bands are from high schools, always a huge honor to march in it. Selections for these are made two years in advance so members can raise money.

Bring It On! --CootertheParadeGuy

The Tournament of Roses Parade-- Part 1

From the Dec. 29-Jan. 4, 2014, American Profile Magazine by Marti Attoun.

Kelly Roberts, 44, of Downey, California, has a 25-year passion about this parade of all parades, and that is to design, build, decorate and drive floats for his city in the 125-year-old Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena.

Downey, California, has been in the parade since 1955.

The theme of this year's parade is "Dreams Come True" and Downey's entry is a Cinderella glass-slipper. Walnuts were ground up to create wood-like railings, crushed poppy seeds to color a water fountain and fresh orchids to resemble falling water and dazzling scroll-work from 15,000 fresh pink, red and yellow roses. I'll sure be looking for this one.

Through the decades, the highly decorated carriages and wagons have been replaced by huge mechanized and animated floats, most built by professional parade companies like the Fiesta Parade Floats in Irwindale, California. Most floats are 55-feet long, but in 2011, there was one 120-feet long that featured a 6,600 wave pool. It had to be specially built to maneuver around street corners.

Always One Impressive Parade. --DaCoot