I LOVE A PARADE

26 April 2021

Happy Birthday, Jeri!

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Davis is a bigger town than it was when we moved here, nearly 50 years ago, but it's still a fairly small town, small enough to have little parades for all sorts of things.

There were always parades for Christmas and for Easter, with children invited to be part of the parade so that the parade itself had more people in it than there were watching it.  they paraded from Central Park to the theater, where there was something going on for them.

One year there was an Easter parade that ended up at the big park near our house.  It was filmed and Paul was the host, interviewing the kids--and the Easter bunny.

But the big parade was always the Picnic Day parade.  Picnic Day is like Open House at UC Davis, with all the buildings open, lots of things to see and do (loved the dachshund races and the cow with the hole in her stomach)

In our earlier years, our kids were on a Picnic Day float for the Children's Theatre Company and, another year, for the diving team.  Walt drove a flat bed truck with actors from the Davis Comic Opera Company.  But there was no Picnic Day last year and no Picnic Day this year, because of the pandemic. 

However there was a parade.  There was a big car parade around a big block in honor of Bob Dunning, the columnist whom Ned interviewed recently. 

There were lots of cars (and a big lemon)

and also at least four penny farthing bikes...the penny farthing bike being the symbol of Davis.

Many of the cars were decorated and all drove past where Bob was standing while the other Bob (Bowen) acted as an announcer describing who was in each car (that's Ned photographing)

and the guest of honor was there to wave at people as they drove by.l

It was a great event and a wonderful celebration of Bob, who, Ned says, was quite humbled.  I love these small town celebrations in Davis and, truthfully, I am so glad that Ned is now living in Davis and part of them again.