Highlights from the Provo Parade

I lived in Utah County for five years, and I never attended the Fourth of July Parade. My inherant distaste for large crowds always kept me inside on the morning of the fourth. But since we were in town for the holiday, and since I knew my little girls would love it, I gritted my teeth, pasted a smile on my face, and braved the crowded streets of downtown Provo to watch the Freedom Festival Parade.
Here are some of my thoughts and impressions.

It was neat to see Senator Hatch up close. His car drove close to the curb where we were sitting and Lorelai and I waved to him. He waved back.

Even after living in Utah County for so long, the cultural oddities can still surprise me. I had no problems with standing and applauding the Utah County Veterans, but when the people around me stood up and put hands on hearts for the Boy Scouts, I remained seated.

The Orem Institute of Religion had a float in the parade. Upon it they placed a Singing Moses, who, at the time he passed our section of Center Street, was singing "There Can be Miracles," from the hit animated movie, "Prince of Egypt."

Both Lorelai and Celeste were excited to see the missionaries from the Provo Mission marching in the parade. The girls stood up, held out their hands, and received a number of high-fives from the elders. As is her wont, Celeste claimed the missionaries as her own, chanting, "My Missionaries, My Missionaries."

We've convinced Lorelai that after High School, the natural progression of life will lead her to BYU. She is very excited about attending said university when she is older. She was therefore excited to see BYU's float, which had a large, spinning Y, which also excited her.

Half of the marching bands in the parade came from high schools that did not exist when I moved out of state in 2003. Further proof of the phenomenal growth in Utah County.

When asked what her favorite part of the parade was, Lorelai said, "All of it." I instead asked her, "If you could only see one part of the parade, which part would you watch?" She responded with "The Flying Pig," a float which had a pig in a blue cape, front legs extended, as if to soar along the parade route.

The girls were so good and patient during the parade that we rewarded them with lunch at the Purple Turtle. Perhaps this was my reward as well, for putting up with the crowds, and the traffic, and the congestion. Or perhaps my reward was the simple joy on Lorelai's face when, halfway through the parade, she leaned over and whispered to me "This is the Best Parade Ever."