ARTrageous Parade, 2008

It was a scooter-riding day, so we hopped on the little red scooter and drove up to the Post Office to get pictures of the ARTrageous parade. It worked really well, what with a come-around corner that provided a good site for catching the highjinks of those parading before us. We also had the opportunity to talk to those in the parade. We hadn’t been able to do that from our previous site.

Early on in the parade was a non-descript sort of truck but the sign it sported was anything but. It was a campaign car for Judge Kent Crow running for circuit judge in the upcoming elections.

Click to enlarge pictures.

One of the more colorful participants was the Psychedelic Marching Band. They provided an eye-catching performance as they paraded down the street. Here’s one of the band all in purple.

We loved the blossom-and-twig dress and wondered if one of the gift shops could bring themselves to feature it.

The Psychedelic Marching Band also presented high costume with this woman who stopped for a moment so we could photograph her.

It was PT Cruiser day in town so there were quite a few Cruisers in the parade. We were told there were 50 or so coming into town. We liked this one with flying doors. Our first thought was wings– to take off from the top of one of our Eureka-street hills. These cruisers said they had come in from Pea Ridge.The doors worked on double hinges, they said, and could pull down to work like regular car doors.

My favorite Cruiser was the one pulling a Coca Cola cooler. I told the family in this car that we’d had an old Coke cooler in the garage when I was a kid. The driver said the cooler he was pulling was a 1933 model. We laughed to think Coke had picked their colors based on this car, yee-up.

The Chariot of Desire was there once again.

We asked the driver if he would stop so we could get a picture of his sign.

The good spirits of the day were reflected in the hoorah! of this man. I’d asked him to wave for a picture, and he did it up good.

As someone into the equine breed, I was particularly taken by this parade participant.

We had a bit of eccentricity, as this car had posted on its side.

And a bit of patriotism.

Steve Holst was in the parade with his dragon. The dragon gets better every year. Steve asked us to wait until he got the old girl steamed up, and then he gave us a dragon snorting like nothing you’ve ever seen.

Angelo Yao was there with his drums, various artifacts, and a yellow figure that represented a heritage that he is sharing with his African drum troupe. Here he is with his dance troupe, and his children. It is one of my favorite shots, so I’ll end with it.