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Why Parades Start Late


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Just got back from Gettysburg, PA Halloween parade and had a late start to the whole thing. We were supposed to lead off 15 minutes early and then play 10-15 at the (gotta say Historic) Gettysburg Square until the rest of the parade caught up. But we started late.....

Supposedly there was a fight at the Square and we had to wait for the cops to sort it out.

37 years or following corps and 16 years of parade and never heard of this one....

Irony is we have an ex-Gburg cop as a member.

Setting DVR up to tape the local news and will check the Internet in the morning....

Edit: Yes it should be "An" not "A" in the subtopic. Added "Alledged" as an after thought and forgot to change first word to "An". :doh:

Edited by JimF-LowBari
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In 1976 the kkk had been threatening to march without a permit in Govenor elect Lamar Alexander's Parade. Sure enough they showed up and delayed the start of the parade by over a hour.

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Marched the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade in 66 and 67 with the Sunrisers. That's probably the worst one as far as waiting. Staging is at 7:00am. Weather was rain one year and freezing cold the next. The parade starts around 9, but with all the reviewing stand performances, it took forever for us to get going and finish and the parade isn't all that long. Then there's the little drill you learn in the freezing cold for your big chance on TV, only to get bumped by commercial, or some big balloon.

It's not all bad though. The crowds loved the drum corps and let you know it. Playing the Joker between those tall buildings was a riot.

Edited by gsksun4
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Just got back from Gettysburg, PA Halloween parade and had a late start to the whole thing. We were supposed to lead off 15 minutes early and then play 10-15 at the (gotta say Historic) Gettysburg Square until the rest of the parade caught up. But we started late.....

We had a deal and set up this past Saturday. We were last in the parade at a local college's homecoming and when we got to the reviewing stand, which was 200 yards from the start, we stopped and played 3 songs and the DS until the parade came back around to us then we led the parade back to the beginning.

Great for us alumni corps folks to NOT have to march 1 1/2 miles in a circle and just stop and play.

Fun gig with all the co-eds, fraternity and sorority floats and dancers.

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I was a spectator one year at the Pittsfield, MA Fourth of July parade. It's one of the biggest in the northeast with about 75,000+ spectators along the parade route, or at least it was at that time (not sure about present day). The parade was going along, and eventually there was a very long gap...suddenly some of the fire units from the parade that had already passed us were going BACK along the parade route, and none too slowly...one of the float vehicles had apparently caught fire. Thankfully, the fire was minor and extinguished quickly, and noone was injured.

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I was a spectator one year at the Pittsfield, MA Fourth of July parade. It's one of the biggest in the northeast with about 75,000+ spectators along the parade route, or at least it was at that time (not sure about present day). The parade was going along, and eventually there was a very long gap...suddenly some of the fire units from the parade that had already passed us were going BACK along the parade route, and none too slowly...one of the float vehicles had apparently caught fire. Thankfully, the fire was minor and extinguished quickly, and noone was injured.

Much the same thing happened a few years in Plymouth (I think it was Plymouth, maybe Brockway). The parade started and was then held up for quite a while because of a small fire along the parade route.

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Much the same thing happened a few years in Plymouth (I think it was Plymouth, maybe Brockway). The parade started and was then held up for quite a while because of a small fire along the parade route.

I was told there was also a medical emergency a few years ago in the Plymouth parade. I heard it was one of the drum corps members.

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I was told there was also a medical emergency a few years ago in the Plymouth parade. I heard it was one of the drum corps members.

It was a snare drummer and drum instructor of the Manchester Muchachos, Tom Downie. He unfortunately passed away while marching.

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