Glacier Peak High School Marching Band

Memorial Day kicks off summer, and nothing says summer to me like a parade.  I have many happy memories of marching in parades with my high school’s band.  Glacier Peak’s band is pretty good.

Parades start in the staging area, and it is always a fun place to visit.  This little girl on her unicycle was filled with zest and enthusiasm.  She made me smile all morning.

Fire District 7 Pipes and Drums

A little girl visited the fire department’s fire and drum corps with a female firefighter who was in the parade.  She seemed quite intrigued.

Paddywack Princess

It isn’t a parade here in Washington State without dogs in costume.  Paddywack is a local coffee shop which caters to dog lovers.  Please visit my Facebook page for more photos.

Rep. Suzan DelBene (D-WA) and Mill Creek’s Mayor Pam Pruitt

Rep. Suzan DelBene (D-WA1) and I marched in a lot of parades the summer before she was elected to Congress.  She was the parade’s grand marshal.

McChord Air Force Honor Color Guard

Memorial Day is a celebration of veterans, and Washington has a lot of military bases. The color guard from McChord ushered in local dignitaries at the start of the parade.

John Lovick, former Snohomish County Executive

John Lovick sported his Coast Guard colors.  I learned today that he played trombone in his high school band.  He had me giggling when he gave the dignitaries a hard time for not tossing out candy to the kids.

University of Washington’s Army ROTC Color Guard

When John saluted the various military units, it reminded me of the powerful bond between military veterans.

Snohomish County Firefighters Pipes & Drums

Our local firefighters have an awesome pipe and drum corps.

We also have amazing firefighters.  I was disappointed that I wasn’t able to capture the happy faces of the firefighters’ children who got to ride in the trucks.

Glacier Peak’s marching band

Mill Creek’s Memorial Day parade was short and sweet.  We have two local high schools, but just one marched in the parade.

Seattle Police Mounted Patrol Unit

John and I laughed because the horse on the right was clearly not happy to be part of this parade.  The horse in the middle was gorgeous and engaged with the crowd.

Cathcart Unicycle Club

The kids on unicycles were the highlight of the parade. They put on an impressive show.

My hope is that your Memorial Day was filled with happy memories.  It has been decades since I last watched a parade, and small town parades rock.