My last parade
Weekend of October 4 Momma's hometown of Collinsville Alabama celebrated 100 years of High School football, the oldest continuing program in the state as I understand it.
Momma graduated in 1940. She played Tuba.
I've lived here for 30 years and this was my first parade as a participant. I donned a tiger cap from Wal mart and a grey shirt and some "paws" and was the caged Section Lion with a Collinsville Panther master keeping me in lion for the route.
The crowd seemed to love it given my reputation as a sometime character about town. It was 96 degrees and taxing in the after effect but was worth it when we took the right downtown traffic light onto mainstreet.
When we got back to the school it took about an hour in the AC of the newly renovated cafeteria before I regained equilibrium. And I honestly didn't quite get there till half way through the annual chicken and dressin meal with slaw and greenbeans and good conversation with David Hernandez circa class of 2012 and Casey Mattox brother Kyle of the class of 97 who returned from Asheville, NC. Our table was later graced by the legend Edgar Padilla of 2012 who now owns the Sideline Bar in Tuscaloosa and his girlfriend from DC an impressive social work major. Her grandparents are from Bremen Ga. home of the Sewell Pants factory.
My finest parade was when I left Gaffney in 78, the inaugural Peach Festival parade with Star Wars William Shatner, and Strom Thurmond himself. I blogged it up somewhere so come back to this and I will try to find the link.
9th Grade Mr. Howard arranged for the Gaffney Band to go to Bradenton Florida. We marched in that parade that included a walk across what seemed to be a mile long bridge where we played for the fishes. Honestly I think the entire route was about five miles.
Over the years was in many parades with the Gaffney High School Band. We went to Woodruff once on an out of towner, but until we integrated we were always upstaged by Granard High School, the school of color in Cherokee County SC.
I got to thinking my first parade was the Christmas parade of 66. Roy P Byars the principal of Gaffney Jr High called us in the office and told us we had been selected. I think Joe Mac Clary was honored too and I was proud and called Momma thinking we were to ride on a float for promise of character and leadership or something. But what it was they needed some clowns or some mascots for Stevenson Ford of something so nobody knew who we were, covered top to bottom with a headset and the target of spitwads from Limestone Presbyterian Church for a good mile down Gaffney's Main Street to the end past the Pool Hall just shy of the RR track in Front of Gaffney Manufacturing where we got out of the mess, exhausted hoping some family member had a clue where we were and would be along shortly to take us home to supper.
Randy Newman had a great song in the late 70. Will link the lyrics soon but one was "Oh Momma, that's the life for me.....And here come the clowns, the bumper cars,, listen to those engines roar, doing tricks for the children."
Jolly Coppers on parade. I used to love this song in my late 20s; little early in life then for nostalgia but it came back strong in memory Saturday morning. I think the chicken n dressin helped me sleep well
https://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/randynewman/jollycoppersonparade.html
But at age 66, 96 degrees, I think I've been in my last one.
Momma graduated in 1940. She played Tuba.
I've lived here for 30 years and this was my first parade as a participant. I donned a tiger cap from Wal mart and a grey shirt and some "paws" and was the caged Section Lion with a Collinsville Panther master keeping me in lion for the route.
The crowd seemed to love it given my reputation as a sometime character about town. It was 96 degrees and taxing in the after effect but was worth it when we took the right downtown traffic light onto mainstreet.
When we got back to the school it took about an hour in the AC of the newly renovated cafeteria before I regained equilibrium. And I honestly didn't quite get there till half way through the annual chicken and dressin meal with slaw and greenbeans and good conversation with David Hernandez circa class of 2012 and Casey Mattox brother Kyle of the class of 97 who returned from Asheville, NC. Our table was later graced by the legend Edgar Padilla of 2012 who now owns the Sideline Bar in Tuscaloosa and his girlfriend from DC an impressive social work major. Her grandparents are from Bremen Ga. home of the Sewell Pants factory.
My finest parade was when I left Gaffney in 78, the inaugural Peach Festival parade with Star Wars William Shatner, and Strom Thurmond himself. I blogged it up somewhere so come back to this and I will try to find the link.
9th Grade Mr. Howard arranged for the Gaffney Band to go to Bradenton Florida. We marched in that parade that included a walk across what seemed to be a mile long bridge where we played for the fishes. Honestly I think the entire route was about five miles.
Over the years was in many parades with the Gaffney High School Band. We went to Woodruff once on an out of towner, but until we integrated we were always upstaged by Granard High School, the school of color in Cherokee County SC.
I got to thinking my first parade was the Christmas parade of 66. Roy P Byars the principal of Gaffney Jr High called us in the office and told us we had been selected. I think Joe Mac Clary was honored too and I was proud and called Momma thinking we were to ride on a float for promise of character and leadership or something. But what it was they needed some clowns or some mascots for Stevenson Ford of something so nobody knew who we were, covered top to bottom with a headset and the target of spitwads from Limestone Presbyterian Church for a good mile down Gaffney's Main Street to the end past the Pool Hall just shy of the RR track in Front of Gaffney Manufacturing where we got out of the mess, exhausted hoping some family member had a clue where we were and would be along shortly to take us home to supper.
Randy Newman had a great song in the late 70. Will link the lyrics soon but one was "Oh Momma, that's the life for me.....And here come the clowns, the bumper cars,, listen to those engines roar, doing tricks for the children."
Jolly Coppers on parade. I used to love this song in my late 20s; little early in life then for nostalgia but it came back strong in memory Saturday morning. I think the chicken n dressin helped me sleep well
https://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/randynewman/jollycoppersonparade.html
But at age 66, 96 degrees, I think I've been in my last one.
posted by foxofbama | 2:16 PM
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