For two years now, our neighborhood has a Memorial Day Parade, beginning at our elementary neighborhood school, Carson, followed by a small festival of performances and games at the elementary school nearby,

but in a different school district (Oak Grove), Parkview Elementary. It includes ribbons for the best costumes and best decorated bicycles, tricycles, wagons and wheelchairs. It's very charming: those who don't join in the parade

cheer from the sidewalk and follow the parade to Parkview. It starts just down the street from our house, so of course we went. Plus, Neil's boy scout pack has become one of the regulars in the parade.

It was led off by the ROTC (Reserve Officers Training Corps.) The were followed by the Sylvandale marching band. Peter was unimpressed, but still: our little parade had a marching band!

The band director seems displeased with the drill guards. After them, we had the Carson-Parkview singers which include a bunch of neighborhood kids Neil used to play with regularly.

They have also initiated floats in our parade. Last year, they came in a big decorated flatbed truck: this year, they had a boat.

The barbershop quartet, appropriately enough, did the parade in or with a classic car.

The local high school's drama department provided clowns and mimes.....and parent clowns.

A local martial arts club puts on a Tai Kwan Do performance every year.

The fire department always brings a truck, 'cause kids love fire trucks.

For the first year, Dance Attack, a dance troupe that performs in local parades joined us. Someone else brought another classic car.

Here's Neil's boy scout pack. It was his first time out wearing his new Webelos uniform.

I think the little girls in the front are a junior branch of the Girl Scouts, but not having been in Girl Scouts I don't know. Those in the brown and turquoise vests, though, are definitely Girl Scouts.

Then the rest of the parading neighbors joined in. The women and children in the green are from Carson Preschool, though I'm not sure if they're associated with the school.

The gave Peter some playdough for Kelly at the festival. Many of the people were sure to wear red, white and blue in all sorts of ways, in honor of Memorial Day.

One of our parade queens had candy she tossed to the spectators on the sidewalk. Memorial Day isn't Mardi Gras, but hey, it's our parade and it is more fun with free candy.

Kelly started out at the end of the parade, just in front of the mounted police. But she kept triking, even through traffic stops, for the entire parade route (about a mile). By the end, she'd

left the horses far behind.

When we all arrived at Parkview, the festival began with a flag ceremony by the ROTC, the Pledge of Allegiance, and patriotic songs by the Carson-Parkview choir and the marching band.

One of the ROTC members told us the history of Memorial Day, and we had a moment of silence for all those who have died in battle. Then, the barbershop quartet sang "God Bless America."

Kelly won second place ribbons in both the "Most Colorful" and "Most Beautiful" categories. She's not quite sure what the ribbon means.

It's still pretty low key as a festival, so after Neil saw the Tai Kwan Do demonstration (which had him wanting to break boards) and the K-9 show, we went home to play in the pool. It was a nice day.