Raven's Roads
Living an interesting life: the travels and musings
of motorcycling author Linda R. Moore

The weather started off horrible, eased a little, but by the time the parade was over had settled into a steady, fast drizzle which blurred camera lenses and failed entirely to dampen the spirits of everyone taking part. Even the contingent of Harley riders, wearing Santa hats and Hawai’ian shirts, didn’t seem to mind the rain and cold as they revved their bikes and waved. It was Lodi’s annual parade, we were munching delicious kettle corn, and each of the 79 floats and groups had something different to offer.

There were ballerinas, and little kids doing cartwheels (did they keep it up for the entire mile?) Our chief of police, who to my intense amusement happens to be called Jerry Adams, narrated and asked for cheers. There were Grinches and Santas with shades and a little old jalopy-thing with a longhorn affixed on front that did wheelies and turns–and reminded me of the cow-tipping scene in Cars. Giant pink pigs, flamingos, palm trees, a glowing Lodi arch and great trucks covered in lights…all took part in the “Tropical Christmas” themed parade which went on for a good hour and a half. Even the local emergency services where there, whooping their sirens just for the fun of it.

The creativity of these events is incredible. It must take months of planning to figure out how to transform a large propane tank into a huge pig, for example. And you get to watch the people–from cold vendors trying to tout glow sticks to the people jiving to holiday songs and the little kids waving and cheering. The weather really doesn’t matter. You can get caught up in the fun of it and wave happy holidays to all the floats and forget about the normal world for a while, feasting on the lights, soaking in the vibe.

By the end of the show, when Santa Claus rolled by on a fire truck, I had water dripping down my hair, onto my glasses, and blurring my camera lens…and was in the highest of spirits possible.

Suggestion: even if your attitude towards holidays is, shall we say, conflicted…attend a holiday parade. The lights will be good for your soul in this dark period of the year, and it will take you out of yourself for just a little while.

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