Just Floating Along

Planning a float for a parade is no small task. My women’s club borrowed a 6-by-8 wooden trailer that would be towed by a Suburban. Sweating hot on a 90 degree day, we decorated the trailer in its garage. None of the types of tape we were prepared to use would stick to the trailer’s protective coating. I made another trip to the hardware store for duct tape, the ultimate fix-all.
With a good bit of adjusting and lavish use of the duct tape, the plain wooden trailer was transformed to accommodate four ladies in tea time attire, complete with hats and gloves. Four director’s chairs around a bistro-sized table were ready to seat us. Blue and white cloth napkins contrasted against a bright yellow tablecloth. White lattice trellises covered in a variety of colored silk flowers flanked the hitch end of the trailer. Blue chiffon that draped the sides was drawn in a huge bow beneath the trellises.
The trailer’s end panel was removed, allowing us to alight to throne-like seats atop the trailer and take our place in the line-up. Despite its loveliness, none of us was keen to ride our beautiful creation in the parade. Sitting around the table, we felt on display like the antique water tankard we had placed mid table in place of a teapot.
Our chauffeurs, Mark and Bob in dress shirts and bow ties, somehow managed to park us in a shady spot as we waited for the parade to start. We sampled the ice cold pink lemonade in our tankard. At first, the old water tankard seemed a monstrosity but it proved to be more efficient than a teapot. The pitcher-like tankard is suspended on a kind of axis. It balanced itself so a quick tilt poured our cups effortlessly.
Usually a spectator at parades, I discovered what it was like to enjoy things from the opposite perspective as we moved out. We tried to watch both sides of the street so we wouldn’t miss anyone waving to us along the street. In front of us, inside the truck cab, the guys dipped into a large bucket filled with wrapped candies and tossed them toward the curb to waiting kids.
Mark guided the Suburban on a smooth, most comfortable ride. We were back at our garage to drop the trailer with half the parade yet to pass – the fire trucks, tractors, and antique cars. What a show, and what fun to have been a part of it!
What’s that we hear? A Christmas parade is coming in a couple months? Sure, why not. We’ve worked out all the glitches now. We’ll dig out some garlands and trade in our hats for Santa caps. It’s all in wearing the right hat.
September is Fall Hat Month

*The Headwear Information Bureau represents the men’s and women’s headwear industries. Its national membership includes designers, manufacturers, and suppliers. Its public relations and promotional activities effectively promote hat wearing in the U.S. to ‘KEEP HATS HOT.’