Last Friday as I read the paper I saw some of the activities listed that were going on in the area for Memorial Day. One such activity was (and I quote) "Memorial Day Parade" on Bullard in Surprise.
"Ooooh! A parade!" I exclaimed. "Just the sort of activity (read: free) we need to make the kids feel like they did something fun!"
So we set the alarm (something Curtis did not want to do on his day off) for 7:00 a.m.
Curtis woke the kids and said "Mom wants to take you to a parade."
They didn't believe him. Why they wouldn't believe him is beyond me, but they came to me for affirmation. "Yes we are going to a Memorial Day Parade," I said.
They all quickly ran off to get ready (they never move this fast when getting ready for, say, school or church). We filled our water bottles and packed our camping chairs and off we went.
As we drove I explained to them the meaning of Memorial Day and a little history of the holiday, hoping to enrich their understanding of our country.
"What kind of floats will we see?" I was asked.
"Probably a bunch of old guys with funny hats on motorcycles," I replied. "And maybe some Sun City Cheer Leaders".
As we approached Greenway on Bullard we were worried when we didn't see any cops, or barricades, or people. "Are you sure the parade is on Bullard?" Curtis queried. I was getting more nervous and couldn't answer my disappointed family.
"Look!!! Up ahead by the library! There are some people sitting on the side of the road and they have little kids!" I exclaimed. "Let's drive up there and ask them."
As we approached the little family sitting on the side of the road something seemed vaguely familiar about them. When we were upon them we all burst into laughter.
"It's Aunt Geanna and Uncle Kelly!!!!" we all hollered.
Yes, it's true. The little family was Curtis' sister's. It was so funny!!! They had read on the Internet about the Memorial Day Parade and had come also. Then it dawned on us that the Memorial Day Parade had been on Saturday, not on Memorial Day. Why the heck would the city of Surprise call it the Memorial Day Parade and not have it on that day?
We ended up not being the only ones confused by the title. Several other families drove up and asked us about the parade. At one point 2 motorcycles with four riders drove by. As they did Hallie exclaimed "Hey look! There are the old people with funny hats on motorcycles!" We cheered and waved as they drove by. They made a u-turn and asked us if this is where the parade was supposed to be.
The kids got a chance to play with their cousins at the park. Geanna and Kelly had brought donuts (so we scored!). All in all it was Memorial Day not to be forgotten any time soon.
Lesson learned: Check the small print for dates of events.
Funniest part of it: We hadn't planned on meeting Geanna's family there. It just so happened to be them. Weird!
6 comments:
Ha ha ha ha!! It's awesome that you guys still hung around to watch the "parade" :D You can't beat that. I love the picture.
Had I known, I would've driven by and thrown candy!
That really stinks that the stupid paper didn't actually give the date since it wasn't on Memorial Day!
That is so funny! Another friend of mine went to the parade too and posted about "missing" the parade. It does seem silly to not have it on Memorial Day.
Funny! I'm glad Geanna's family was there so you could laugh together.
My kids marched in the parade a couple of years ago for Chick-fil-A. Your description of Sun City Cheerleaders is pretty accurate. I think that alone makes it worth going to.
Hilarious, Debra! Cam and I had a good laugh. Micah was in the parade last year with his baseball team, but we missed in this year. Maybe more people would be there if they did have on Memorial DAY!
hahaha! What are the chances of that?! Good memory for sure!
That is pretty funny!
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