Fourth of July Parade

My sister and sister-in-law decorated my brother's trailer for our family to use in the Irvington Fourth of July parade in the Northern Neck of Virginia. Here are the children eating candy and wilting in the heat before the parade started. I walked around the field taking pictures of parade participants.



My daughter did her best parade wave and kept an eye on the cousins while my sister and I handed out candy. My husband, who watched the parade, said people thought she was somebody famous. Aren't parades funny? Some of us want to be in a parade, some of us want to watch it.

This is the back of the float. It used to say "United We Stand," but the "We" blew off in the wind when we drove to the start of the parade.

There were lots of red, white and blue vehicles. Golf carts.....

antique tractors...

and a steamboat float advertising the future Irvington Steamboat Era Museum.


This vintage tow truck below was my favorite vehicle. I have a soft spot for old trucks, especially old pick-ups.


These are the Shriner's go-carts below. The Shriners do tricky maneuvers in their go-carts to entertain the crowd and raise money for burn victims. Some of my European friends have told me that the volunteer impulse is a very American one. Do you think this is true?

It wouldn't be a parade without some Boy Scouts,

and lots of children dressed in red, white, and blue. There are lots of mothers out there that put lots of thought into their children's outfits for the Fourth of July parade.

Several political candidates were there to meet people and advertise their campaigns, including Miss Krystal Ball.


The Fourth of July: unabashed patriotism stirred with humor, individuality and a streak of wackiness.

Happy Fourth of July!