Parade season is cause for celebration

“A parade is a procession of people, often in costume, and often accompanied by marching bands, floats or sometimes large balloons. Parades are held for a wide range of reasons, but are usually celebrations of some kind.” — Wikipedia

The oldest parade in America was held in 1770 in Colonial-era Philadelphia to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. The Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade is touted as the largest and second-oldest, beginning in 1924, and is probably one of the best-known.

New Orleans’ Mardi Gras Parade is in a decadent category of its own, and the uniqueness of the Rose Parade’s bevy of beautiful floats decorated exclusively in flora and fauna stands out.

Bristol, R.I., boasts the oldest and continuously held Independence Day Parade, since 1785. One of the biggest and best Fourth of July parades takes place in Washington, D.C., with the National Independence Day Parade on Constitution Avenue.

I do love a parade in any season, so thankfully there’s no shortage of wonderful celebrations close to home!

• • •

Parade season is upon us so if you plan to enter any of the area parades, now’s the time. Coeur d’Alene’s Vintage America Parade is 10 a.m. Tuesday, July 4, and the entry deadline is June 16. Info at Coeur d’Alene Chamber, 208-664-3194.

Spirit Lake’s Old Fashioned Fourth of July parade requires no advance registration for entries, just show up at the elementary school starting at 10 a.m. and you’ll be lined up for the 11 a.m. parade down Maine Street.

In Post Falls, the annual parade will be Saturday, July 8, at 10 a.m. Contact the Post Falls Chamber for an entry form, 208-773-5016. Rathdrum Days Parade is Saturday, July 22, at 10 a.m. on Main Street. Call 208-687-2866. Hayden celebrates on July 29, with a 10 a.m. community parade. Call 208-209-1080.

• • •

'Tis also the season for those who own RVs and travel trailers to put them to use. As an FYI, in both Post Falls and Coeur d’Alene, any vehicle, including RVs, can only remain parked on a city street for 24 hours.

The bad guys tend to take note when people are loading up, getting ready to head out of town, making your home vulnerable to burglars. If you’re going to be on vacation, you can also contact your local PD so they can make patrol officers aware that the homeowner is out of town.

• • •

Happy Main Street Birthday today to my better half and best friend, Bert Thoreson, along with John Hough, Brad Corkill and Susan Lewis. Tomorrow Ted Pryor, Tammy Rickard, Courtney Everson, Dustin Pilcher, Jaymie Starr, Emma Hoffman and Dave Haugen blow out the candles. On Friday, Carla Allert, Dave Corbeill, Greg Washington, Paul Deckon, James Hart, Don Fisher and Darrell Hull do the birthday dance. On Saturday, Chelsea Hough, Jared Mans, Taylor Gonzales (30!), Lori Kaye Gaboury, Joan Crawford, Tanzi Hanson and Shannon Boston will celebrate. June 11 birthday wishes to Deb Wheeler, Berkley Johnson, Kellie Palm, Eddie Bateman, Sandy Green, Gary Schneidmiller, Colin Evans, Tori Daily, Billy Anderson and Erna Rhinehart. On Monday, John Imhoff, Nicci Cushman, Vivian Worth and Kamryn Peacock mark their big day. Mark Tucker, Meg Andrews, Ann Heinen, Jacklyn Holovka and Dave Siroshton take another trip around the sun Tuesday.

• • •

Kerri Rankin Thoreson is a member of the National Society of Newspaper Columnists and the former publisher of the Post Falls Tribune. Main Street appears every Wednesday in The Press and Kerri can be contacted on Facebook or via email mainstreet@cdapress.com. Follow her on Twitter @kerrithoreson.