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Two years ago, I was very pregnant with Peter, and my sister-in-law, Lisette, was dating a guy named Dan. She brought him to the Laurel 4th of July Parade so we could meet him.
We enjoyed spending time with Dan, but the parade itself was a disappointment. Most of the participants were politicians, flanked by t-shirted supporters passing out candy. Our disappointment launched a discussion on possible parade improvements. A few of us jokingly suggested that we should be in the parade, dressed up in costume as famous Americans.
Fast forward two years. Peter is an energetic toddler and Dan and Lisette are now married. Around April, the 4th of July Parade came up in discussion. I was raised by a woman who lived by the adage, “If you want it done right, do it yourself.” So, I signed our family up to march in the parade.
Thus began the planning and recruitment phase. So far, we had my husband (Benjamin), myself, our four kids (Monica, Charles, Genevieve, and Peter), Dan, and Lisette. Our Oldtown friend Maria Gonzales Jackson agreed to join us, along with her husband (Stephen) and their daughters, Mia and Noelle.
I chose to be the Statue of Liberty (sans green body paint) and Benjamin cobbled together a Thomas Jefferson costume. Dan agreed to be Abraham Lincoln, and Lisette chose Betsy Ross. We originally planned for Monica, ever the science nerd, to be Amelia Earhart, but constructing an airplane costume sounded tedious, so we settled on Sally Ride, whom she could portray with a NASA costume she already owned. Charles was Paul Revere, Genevieve was Laura Ingalls Wilder, and Peter was Benjamin Franklin. Stephen Jackson agreed to be Frederick Douglass, while Maria came up with the brilliant idea of dressing up as the Declaration of Independence–the shortest version ever. Mia and Noelle took some time choosing their historical figures, but landed brilliantly on Phillis Wheatly and Shirley Chisholm.
Of all the costumes, I am most proud of Charles’s. I purchased a stuffed horse from 2nd Avenue Thrift Store, cut the horse in half (a slightly disturbing enterprise), and sewed on straps so that half of the horse could be in front of Charles and the other half would be behind him, giving the illusion that he was riding it. A tricorn hat and a lantern completed the outfit, and he proudly wore it while galloping around the house, practicing his best, “The British are coming! The British are coming!”
The day of the parade was blazing hot, so I tucked an icepack behind Peter’s back, gave Monica a neck fan, and brought along a spray bottle full of water. Because the parade started at 11:00, there was relatively little shade along the route. But despite the heat, we smiled and waved at our neighbors, enjoying their delighted reactions to our getup. One neighbor dashed into the parade route to take a picture with Noelle (Shirley Chisholm) because she herself had campaigned for Shirley Chisholm during Chisholm’s presidential run.
We were sweaty and drooping by the time we finally arrived at the judges’ stand. Despite that, our getup received the Kay Harrison Memorial Award for the Most Spirited Group, which I take as a great compliment to our efforts at incorporating some American history into the parade.
Will we join the parade again next year? Absolutely. Everyone loves a good parade, and what makes a parade good is entertainment and spectacle. I don’t mind all the politician groups, but perhaps they could be required to at least have an American-themed float to give spectators something fun to look at. Someone could dress up as a bald eagle. Someone could put together a float that shows Washington crossing the Delaware, or perhaps stage the signing of the Constitution. An especially self-secure person could be the Liberty Bell. There are a thousand wonderful possibilities. The 4th of July committee and the parade organizers work so hard to make everything flow smoothly; it’s a community event well worth participating in.
So, neighbors, next April, sign up to march, scrounge up a costume, and come join us. With a little creativity, Laurel could have one of the best 4th of July parades in Maryland.
Caitlin Lewis holds a Master’s Degree in Education from Covenant College. She worked as a high school English teacher both in the U.S. and Greece, but currently works at home raising her four children and writing her column.
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