Eye love a Parade

[SSScout 1615]

Yeah, I'll call it high adventure...

 

I'm off to the Centennial Scout Parade in Downtown Washington, DC. Leave home in about an hour. I'll be a "Balloon Handler" (think Macy's parade). A distant relative was an officier on the Graf Zeppelin, so I guess it's appropriate.

 

One of the requirements was to be "more than 110 lbs". I think I pass muster there.

Later, I'll come back and discuss not attending the Jamboree.

 

Y'all stay cool, now.

[Scoutfish 16]

"A distant relative was an officier on the Graf Zeppelin,...."

 

 

Tell me that we will not see Scooby Doo or Snoopy in flames!

[Narraticong 15]

You should know there will be no flamers at a Scout parade!

 

Ken

[Mike F 10]

SS

We loved the parade! Which balloon were you working?

[Eagle92 110]

EXCELLENT! which balloon were you on?

 

I saw a few of the ballons, I was busy trying to keep an eye on all my scouts that were mixed up in our section (would have been nice to keep units and council contingents together). Once we finished marching, I was able to watch someof the parade as I dealt with packets.

 

 

[ScoutNut 147]

USA Today reported that there were "dozens" at the parade who collapsed from the heat. Did any of you who were there have any problems?

 

Hopefully your Scouts and Scouters, stayed hydrated and well!

[Eagle92 110]

I did have a Cub Scout and his dad leave the parade b/c his son was getting really tired. Part of it was heat, part of it was lack of sleep. They had a very busy weekend and flew in to march very early in the morning. I know we kept telling our guys to drink up, even singing a "Cub Scout Driking Song" I learned at our Pirates themed CSDC last year( "every time you hear 'drink up me harties yo ho' you drink from your waterbottle" )Also NCAC was providing water to parade marchers at the assembly area.

 

[Eagle92 110]

in trying to find pics of the parade, I foudn out that 6 people were sent to the hospital. not dozens.

[Gags 10]

I guess this is where I post my pseudo-regrets for not getting down to the parade. Makes it even worse that I'm probably the geographically closest to the parade (10 minute drive to the Mall). First it was the hesitancy to pay $20 just to march in the parade, then I missed both deadlines for that, then responded too late for the balloon handler option, then was convinced by my wife that bringing my soon-to-be 4 year old daughter down there to even watch on a 97-99 degree day was a little too much. Witnessing the storm that came through @ 3:00 did help convince me I think I made the right decision. Funny thing about regrets, though - they tend to stick with you.

 

On a related note, the Washington Post had relatively minor coverage of the event. It made the front page of the Metro section, but the large photo they used was an "artistic" one - taken from underneath the large flag that led off the parade. All you could see was the feet of a few scouts carrying it. Nothing showing the large amount of scouts that presumably turned out for it. On the plus side - IIRC they mentioned that it went off fairly well with no heat related incidents reported - no reporting of the 6 people sent to the hospital. Maybe they're waiting until the Jamboree to blow everything out of proportion? :-)

 

YiS,

 

Gags

[OldGreyEagle 5]

Washington DC sees a lot of parades, I wonder how the BSA parade did as far as heat related issues compared to say a comparable bunch of who ever you can think of? I would say it would be similar

[SSScout 1615]

Oh, it was fun, I'm glad I went, it was HOT and I drank everybit of fluid I brought and more. There were floats about Eagles, floats about camping (fire extiguisher next to nylon flames), floats about the SPromise, and SLaw. The Scout statues on the floats were ALL uniformly uniformed in yellow nylon, I guess they couldn't find the right shade of tan. Like 1970s female Cub Scout leader blouse yellow. The balloons were rented/organized from/by a company from Detroit, so they said. The balloons included colorful stars; cubes with pictures of Scouts, the prez and Scouts, Venturers and Scouts, rocks and rivers and canoes and SCouts on their sides; Oscar the Grouch (don't ask me); Billy Blaze (think Rescue Rangers); a giant Eagle (the best one, I thought), a balloon balloon (hot air type), and a birthday cake, with 8 foot candles blown up. I helped hold Billy down.

Also the requisite antique cars, ww2 jeeps, police m/cs, and hundreds and hundreds of Scouts. A semi flat bed with jitter bug dancers, a Sea Scout (real 1/10 scale) topsail schooner ship on a trailer, and hundreds and hundreds of Scouts. Latino dance team. A 1931 Plymouth pick up truck(!).

I tell you, pulling Billy INTO the wind was WORK. Fortunately, the wind was not always in our faces, only seemed that way.

The parade ended about an hour before the storm hit. The balloons were deflated fairly quickly. I did not get to claim my souvenir packet (later that), because the wind took down ALL the canvas standing on the mall or by Washington Monument. I ended up taking shelter in the garage entrance to the Commerce Dept. with about 30 other Scouty folks. The wind and rain went horizontal for about 30 minutes.

The storm did alot of damage to the DC area, power is still out in much of southern Montgomery County.

I did claim a unique souvenir. The balloons are lofted with several individual bladders, and the shape is held taut with a small electric blower inflating the outer skin. Fellow with a battery pack walked along with each balloon. When the balloons are deflated, I was half expecting them to pump out the helium to recycle it. Nope. The crews would try to deflate the bladders to reclaim them, but they just release the helium out into the atmosphere. Some of the bladders burst from the heat, some were knifed to speed the process. So, I picked up a used, burst bladder. Whoppee.

 

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/07/25/AR2010072503013.html

 

Toward the end of the parade, we would have to manuever Billy to make room for ambulances. Yes, there were heat problems. I was almost one of them, to be honest. I was beat at the end. At the end, the FDept. were spraying water for Scouts to play in.

 

Met old friends, made some new ones, danced the Lindy with a CSDC Director.

See you in another hundred years...Ha!