Friday, July 17, 2009

Parade Memories . . .

When I was in elementary school one of my favorite summertime activities was participating in the public library summer reading program. I loved receiving rewards for reading books throughout the summer. My favorite summer was the one when we were given feathers for each book we completed to put in an Indian headdress. The highlight of the program was the bicycle parade down Broadway Street which was the downtown business district.

My Daddy would help me decorate my bicycle with crepe paper the night before the big parade. My bike didn't have a basket like this one, but it did have a headlight. Daddy was very creative when we decorated my bike, I was always so proud!

The morning of the parade everyone would meet at the old depot. As we rode down Broadway the sidewalks were crowded with people waving & cheering us on. The parade ended at the Library where all the kids were treated to popsicles.

I love my childhood memories! So sweet! Life in a small town during the 50s & 60s was wonderful!

8 comments:

Patsy said...

That is so sweet. Happy memories are what life is made of.
Patsy

Stacey said...

What a neat description of something you loved. I loved the summer reading programs too. The library was close enough to my house that I could walk back and forth. I would check out stacks of books!

Tamara Jansen said...

My dad used to own a bakery on main street in down town Chilliwack. We would be allowed to sit in the upstairs window to watch the parade go by. One time I got distracted from the parade by a giant faux wedding cake covered in royal icing that used to be in the display window. I ate some of that very old display cake and lived to regret it :)

Thanks for reminding me of that very special childhood memory!

Kari said...

Aww..this was such a sweet post! What a neat memory you have with your dad. It's neat that the Library held a parade!

Lynne (lynnesgiftsfromtheheart) said...

What happy memories. Thanks for sharing. If only times were as simple as riding down main street, life would be much different..
hugs ~lynne~

Elena said...

What a wonderful thing to remember! I remember being in our town's pear blossom parade in the spring and I was in the marching band. It was so much fun!

Linda C said...

Oh Carol, It was so much fun hearing about your childhood memories! I agree- life in a small town was great-- but ours was so small- no parades:)

I love this picture of the bike:)

Have a wonderful weekend!

Hugs,
Linda C

Bargain Decorating with Laurie said...

What a great idea that was. I bet every child in town was a summer reader. You brought back memories of my mother and dad helping me decorate my bike for the 4th of July parade on our street. So much fun. laurie