Editorial: Grandma's pie is good, but could be better

Fourth of July parades occupy sacred space in the conscientiousness of all red-, white- and blue-blooded Americans.

So suggesting a way to perhaps improve ever so slightly on this important Independence Day tradition runs great risk. It’s kind of like telling your grandmother that her apple pie is good, but maybe, just maybe, substituting honeycrisp for golden delicious might add a starburst or two to the ol’ taste buds.

Doing that — complimenting but noting that there’s room for improvement — could be grounds for dismissal from the table.

We get that, but for the sake of our beloved Fourth of July parade and maximum holiday enjoyment for the tens of thousands who partake, we’re going to forge ahead anyway.

If Granny over-sweetened the pie, the same can be said for political parade ingredients. There’s too much of that and not enough actual apples.

Isn’t local life already overbaked when it comes to politics? Rather than parading scores of politicians and their followers, why don’t a bunch of patriotic guys and gals dress up like historical political figures and party like it’s 1776 all over again?

In Coeur d'Alene, rare is the float that took a service club, business, church group or school the time and effort to create. We know these require a handful of volunteers laboring for many hours just to make a brief appearance on center stage, but the July 4 showcase is extraordinary. It’s a prime time to shine. Thanks to technology, instructions are a fingertip away (https://www.wikihow.com/Build-a-Float).

More musical entries would be appreciated. So would any groups with a fun idea for running skits down the parade route — the funnier, the better. Somebody’s got to step up and help fill the void left by the much-loved Red Hot Mamas.

So that’s the post-7/4/22 suggestion for 7/4/23.

And if we’re sent to bed without dessert, so be it.