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1/1/2007
New Year's resolutions from a parade snob
Ok, I admit it. I am a certifiable parade snob. And once a parade snob, it’s there for good. Even Flag Day and Memorial Day and Santa Scamper Day rehab sessions don’t come close to curing it.
For you see, I’ve been there. Sleeping overnight on the hard, not-so-warm streets. Early, early in the mornings with an infant on my knee. For those of you who have been there as well, you’ll know what I mean when I say The Rose Parade in Pasadena is absolutely unbelievable. And absolutely unforgettable and unmatchable.
You’ve heard the rules at one time or another in your life - every square millimeter of every float must be covered with some type of plant material. You’ve heard the counts of how many hundreds of thousands of roses are brought in to Pasadena from everywhere in the world. You may even have cringed at the excess of it all.
Seeing it on television doesn’t come close to the reality of the unbelievable detail and hard work involved in placing poppy seeds and layer upon layer of banana leaves, not to say the thousands and thousands of individual flowers painstakingly attached to the floats. Actually, you see it up close and it’s still absolutely unbelievable. And the bands. I absolutely love the precision, discipline and talent showcased by these top-notch bands. Today's Rose Parade will host 21 bands from around the world – and two of those bands are from Wisconsin!
The Pulaski High School and Waukesha North High School bands will represent Wisconsin brilliantly. This is a first Rose Parade for the Pulaski marching band (a veteran of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade!) and a third appearance for the Waukesha North “Northstar” marchers. The Northstars will be performing Sousa’s classic “Stars and Stripes Forever” and the Pulaski kids, a polka tune and a song from “Chicago.”
The parade will be televised today on ABC and NBC at 10 a.m. CST. Of 93 floats, bands and equestrian groups, the Pulaski band is 10th in the parade line-up, and the Northstars are 57th.
I’m greatly moved by the unbelievably hard work these young people have gone through to get where they’ll be this New Year's Day morning. I can’t get their hard work out of my mind – and they become a motivating backdrop for this year’s New Year’s resolutions.
Be disciplined. No matter what it is, if it’s important, stick to it. If you love it, do all you can to reach it, to keep it. Be good. Be kind. Love others. Be precise. Be focused. Share your talents with others. Learn things. Stay informed. Make a difference.
Those kids are something to watch. Let them be a motivation unto you in this upcoming New Year.
COMMENTS
I've never had the opportunity to see the Rose Parade in the flesh, so to speak.
Also, with the parade being on ch. 2, we have an antenna and don't get good reception on that channel. Today's parade was pretty much a blur. (Dear, is it snowing in Pasadena? Wish it were, here.)
I've given up watching the Thanksgiving Day parade as the celebrities seem to have taken it over and that's the last thing I want to see. Perhaps as a parade marshall, but that's all!!
I watch parades for one other thing besides the floats - the bands. I love band music and excellent marching. I, too, think of the young musicians and all the dedication and work that goes into trying to achieve perfection. It's mind-boggling when you think of how many of our young people are maligned for being a bunch of lazy "gimmes".
I hope the folks in Pasadena keep the parade as plant and flower floats and marching bands. A beautiful unchanging event in a sometimes ugly changing world.
C.R. Stevenson (Mon Jan 01 14:11:42 2007)
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