That’s right: I didn’t say “July 4th” – it’s Independence Day.  I was hoping to walk in the parade today, but my knee said otherwise.  So it was painkillers, Ace bandage, and sidelines.  But I did get to spend the time with my oldest boy and some friends in town from Idaho, so that’s a plus.  Here are some photos of things I found interesting:

 

The colors.  It was nice to see people rise and salute the flag, hands over their hearts, without anyone having to tell them.

 

Bismarck High School football carrying Old Glory.  The parade’s in Mandan, but we’re one big happy Bis-Man community.

 

Serving and Protecting.  Morton County is going back to silver vehicles again, which is too bad – I like the way their white and blue ones look.  Especially the reflective blue stripe.

 

Since the liberals are fighting pipelines and now oil by train, this is how Bakken crude is going to make it to market.

 

Because it’s in North Dakota, the parade requires a Zamboni.  The folks accompanying this parade entry were on roller blades.  Cool, but probably spooky if one gets horse poo on those wheels.

 

I can’t see this without thinking about this song by They Might Be Giants.  It’s a beast like this which helped assemble that giant weather vane construction crane at St. Alexius.

 

My friend and karate training buddy Nathan Toman, who I believe is running for reelection to represent Morton County.  Please give him your vote.

 

One of the most colorful entries every year from ACE towing.  I did happen to notice something on the side of this tow truck I hadn’t seen before, though:

A little tribute to the law enforcement officers we lost a few years back.

There’s only one way to heaven, and that’s through being born again by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.  Good to see a church proclaiming it!

 

This was one of the coolest entries I saw: pedal powered!  Plenty of people shared the responsibility of propulsion duty.

The pedals turned a shaft which went to a gearbox and turned the rear wheels.  I never did see how the front wheels steer, though.

 

Any event which has a bubble machine is a fun time in my book.  This float actually had two, but it was the other components of the entry that caught our eye:

I’m going to resist any puns here.  This looks like it was a lot of fun to drive.  Note the wheelie bar.  I never saw that part put to use.  But that’s not all…

Rub a dub dub!  This tub gizmo, along with the motorized toilet and outhouse trailer show a commitment to putting on a good display for this year’s parade.

 

One participant to keep an eye on every year is Butcher Block Meats.  They always do what I wish more Mandan parade entries would do: make an actual FLOAT.  They always motorize something, too – and this was no exception:

It’s good to see they wanted to keep up the creativity this year.  Now I’ve got to show my kids some Yogi and Boo-Boo cartoons – I really haven’t shown them much from the Hanna-Barbera catalog.

 

Here’s one of the Touchstone Energy logo folks out representin’.

 

And finally, the Bowdon Meats folks decided to do a little Beverly Hillbillies thing.  Although they’re not necessarily in a part of North Dakota where the ground is “a-bubblin’ crude”.

At this point the heat was getting to my little guy, even though we had shade nearby for an occasional respite, so I honored his wishes and packed up for home.  Looking down the line I could see that the next several entries were mostly vehicles, not actual floats.  Although I have no doubt there were some occasional gems in there, nothing within view caught my eye, so it was easy to pry myself away.  In future parades it would be cool to see more bona fide floats of clever design rather than vehicles with logos plastered on them.  But for the time we spent today, the photos prove that we saw plenty of cool stuff on parade for Independence Day.

Click for larger version.

Here’s a panoramic photo of Planes and Pancakes, the aerial version of Buggies ‘n’ Blues.  If you follow my blog’s Facebook page you saw a pinned post with a copy of their poster listing all the various attractions during the day.  One of the highlights of this event for me, though, is the breakfast.  The breakfast consists of scrambled eggs, country style sausage, and fresh pancakes.  Yum.  It’s free with a request for donation, which I think benefits the local EAA club.

What’s cool about this is that Dave from A&B Pizza, an aviator himself, puts on the breakfast as a way of supporting the aircraft organization and helping assure the event’s success.  I wanted to issue a public “thank you” last year and never got around to it, but this year I’m giving props where they’re deserved.

Okay, they’re a month overdue.  So let me unload.

Here’s what it’s all about:  the American soldier.  After all, we’re talking about fighting for liberty.

 

I think this must be Plasma man or something?   Or is it Prostate Cancer Awareness Week? Hepatitis Bob?

 

Pony tow.

 

Before and after.  I love Kawasaki Green or anything approximating it.

 

Of course, in North Dakota even July 4th has a Zamboni.  Duh.

 

OSHA approved?  Maybe just for parade duty.  This is the company that was listing cntree.com in their TV commercials on KFYR…the only problem is that it was an Indonesian site selling counterfeit shoes.  Oops.

 

Love a progression of matching tractors!

 

Becks promoting their Fort Lincoln Trolley.  Shoot, I haven’t ridden it yet this summer!  Okay, it’s on the list.  One noteworthy thing about this fire truck:

 

It’s apparently a Bismarck original!

 

Well, some are more festive than others.  ‘MERICA.

 

Kawasaki Green and Suzuki Blue?  Bartlet & West knows how to get themselves featured on this website.

 

Butcher Block always does cool floats.  But the animated Mater wasn’t the thing that I liked the most about this year’s iteration:

 

This is why I liked it so much.

 

Again…a stark reminder of what freedom costs.

 

Infuriating that any of our own would be left behind.

 

Over $20 million PLUS staffing and operating costs?  A “thank you” is the least that Mandan voters should receive.

 

Color guard.

 

Spry.

 

Lawrence Welk made North Dakota the home of the bubble machine.  This spa keeps the tradition alive.

 

Seriously, folks.  This is what it’s all about.

 

It’s pink, but it can lift more than you can.

 

Unless you’re this guy.

 

A whole range of John Deere tractors in procession, in order by model number.

 

I’d say the kid knows how to race.

 

A reminder to MOVE OVER when you see a law enforcement officer with someone pulled over.  It’s for everyone’s safety.

 

As you can see from this side, they’re serious.

 

Now that is colorful.

 

And of course, there’s an opportunity to shoot a couple of free throws.

I’m glad the parade didn’t get rained out this year.  I miss the days, however, when everyone actually made floats.  Yeah, trucks and tractors and military vehicles are cool…but what about the creativity?  The most memorable participants in this year’s parade were the ones who made their own floats.   Of those, the ones who showed respect for the death and/or imprisonment of those fighting for our freedom were the ones which left lasting impressions on me.  Hopefully in future parades we’ll see that creativity return.