Labor Day 2015
Well, at least it didn't rain!
Parades can be a fun thing, but I think in some ways they're way more fun for the viewers than the participants. Especially when, like today, it was sunny, hot, and humid. A group of us met at the concert building and walked over to the start of the parade, which is a good mile away; we were already hot and sweaty by then. And, we had to cross a particular street to get there, except there was a 5K run happening before the parade; it was fun trying to dodge runners to get across. Not only that, but the turn-around point was just up the street from the starting point of the parade, so you had to deal with them coming *and* going. At least when I finally crossed, I had people walking instead of jogging so that made crossing easier. And, better, there was a water station near the turn-around point as well, and we were offered water before the parade started. Considering some of us had been standing in the sun for a half-hour by that point, and had walked the mile before that, it was welcome. I think that helped in getting through the parade.
The parade itself wasn't too bad, but it's hard to play when it's hot and sticky. Anyone with a mouthpiece that goes against the face and not in the mouth always has the risk of getting sweat between your lips (or, in my case, below the lips) and your mouthpiece, meaning it won't stay in place properly. You're trying to do several things at once and it doesn't always work that well. At least we didn't have to play around any corners, which is good, and the drums didn't seem as loud as last year. Perhaps maybe my earplugs were in better, or maybe they played just a tad softer, but when we went under a viaduct, I wasn't wincing. You definitely could tell who *wasn't* wearing earplugs, because they were holding their ears, and I could really feel the vibrations in my body. That was a funky feeling.
I will say we did have one issue with a corner, though, but it wasn't directly us. Our director, who is on the old side, is having some physical difficulties and walking is not something he can do for too long. He decided he'd only walk the middle portion of the parade, past the reviewing stand; otherwise he rode in the car we have at the front of the band. We hit one corner, he must have gotten out, and he marched with us. However, when he reached the next corner, the car stopped to let him back in, but the band was in the process of turning at the time and had to halt with half the band facing one direction and the other half facing another. Because I was forward enough, I could see what was happening, but anyone behind me had no idea and didn't find out what was going on until after the parade. We do funky corners, too, so it was all kinds of awkward, but someone toward the back said it actually worked out okay and looked pretty cool. It just would have been nice to either have known about it beforehand, or else for the car to have pulled forward enough so that the band was past the point of turning, but I guess they just didn't want him to walk any longer. Also, when we reached the endpoint of the parade, we'd heard this odd beeping behind us; a fire department golf cart was coming through. We found out later that there had been an older veteran marching ahead of us who'd made it through almost the entire parade before collapsing. They temporarily blocked off the very end of the parade while people tended to him, instead making cars and people turn down an adjacent street. This royally confused people but it worked out, and I hope he'll be okay, but it definitely wasn't the greatest weather for a parade. I got home and changed everything on the top half of my body. I was soaked. It was fantastic to get into dry clothes--and air conditioning. It was something like 87F on my ride home.
Parades can be a fun thing, but I think in some ways they're way more fun for the viewers than the participants. Especially when, like today, it was sunny, hot, and humid. A group of us met at the concert building and walked over to the start of the parade, which is a good mile away; we were already hot and sweaty by then. And, we had to cross a particular street to get there, except there was a 5K run happening before the parade; it was fun trying to dodge runners to get across. Not only that, but the turn-around point was just up the street from the starting point of the parade, so you had to deal with them coming *and* going. At least when I finally crossed, I had people walking instead of jogging so that made crossing easier. And, better, there was a water station near the turn-around point as well, and we were offered water before the parade started. Considering some of us had been standing in the sun for a half-hour by that point, and had walked the mile before that, it was welcome. I think that helped in getting through the parade.
The parade itself wasn't too bad, but it's hard to play when it's hot and sticky. Anyone with a mouthpiece that goes against the face and not in the mouth always has the risk of getting sweat between your lips (or, in my case, below the lips) and your mouthpiece, meaning it won't stay in place properly. You're trying to do several things at once and it doesn't always work that well. At least we didn't have to play around any corners, which is good, and the drums didn't seem as loud as last year. Perhaps maybe my earplugs were in better, or maybe they played just a tad softer, but when we went under a viaduct, I wasn't wincing. You definitely could tell who *wasn't* wearing earplugs, because they were holding their ears, and I could really feel the vibrations in my body. That was a funky feeling.
I will say we did have one issue with a corner, though, but it wasn't directly us. Our director, who is on the old side, is having some physical difficulties and walking is not something he can do for too long. He decided he'd only walk the middle portion of the parade, past the reviewing stand; otherwise he rode in the car we have at the front of the band. We hit one corner, he must have gotten out, and he marched with us. However, when he reached the next corner, the car stopped to let him back in, but the band was in the process of turning at the time and had to halt with half the band facing one direction and the other half facing another. Because I was forward enough, I could see what was happening, but anyone behind me had no idea and didn't find out what was going on until after the parade. We do funky corners, too, so it was all kinds of awkward, but someone toward the back said it actually worked out okay and looked pretty cool. It just would have been nice to either have known about it beforehand, or else for the car to have pulled forward enough so that the band was past the point of turning, but I guess they just didn't want him to walk any longer. Also, when we reached the endpoint of the parade, we'd heard this odd beeping behind us; a fire department golf cart was coming through. We found out later that there had been an older veteran marching ahead of us who'd made it through almost the entire parade before collapsing. They temporarily blocked off the very end of the parade while people tended to him, instead making cars and people turn down an adjacent street. This royally confused people but it worked out, and I hope he'll be okay, but it definitely wasn't the greatest weather for a parade. I got home and changed everything on the top half of my body. I was soaked. It was fantastic to get into dry clothes--and air conditioning. It was something like 87F on my ride home.