City Girl Meets Country Girl: Small Town Loves a Parade

Yesterday, I made plans to take the kiddos to the farmer's market and also to the Parade of a Thousand Clowns (a 1,000 might have been a bit of a stretch). Being a farmer's wife, in the middle of farming season, I am learning to plan on Tony not being with us and also for ways to entertain my kiddos. Too much idle time in the Hinkle house equals lots of tears, "I am bored" cries, and screaming and that is just from me. Ha! Ha!

I had looked in the paper and learned Vincennes has a farmer's market on Wednesday evenings and also Saturday mornings. I LOVE farmer's markets not only for the local fare but also for the of sense of community.

Emily lovingly named her dog Hot Sauce that she had made by our clown friends at the farmer's market. We even scored some amazing strawberries.

I also learned that the town was having the Red Skelton Festival and a HUGE parade was taking place. "Perfect," I thought, "we could do the farmer's market then hit the parade. Both of them within walking distance of one another and I could also checkout the downtown area." I love being able to multitask. Nothing makes me happier.

Luke is boy after my own heart. He saved my day by purchasing a very cold can of Coke.

Tony worked back to back 16 hour days on Thursday and Friday so I was surprised and excited to learn that he was going to spend Saturday with us. What a wonderful treat to have daddy and we also recruited Mamaw, Aunt Tammy and Luke.

Excited for the parade to start

So I learned that a small town loves a parade. The streets were lined with spectators excited to see the clowns, the Shriners, the Mayor and other fun guests. I found myself taking mental notes so that I don't look like such a rookie at the July 4th parade.

What to expect at a small town parade and how to prepare:

Pack your folding chairs or blankets to sit on.
Stake out a spot in the shade if you can. Those parades can get quite long.
Bring a bag or bucket to collect candy that is pelted at you by the parade participants.
Wear a helmet and body armor to prevent injury from the candy.
Bring bug spray (Thank goodness for Buggin'. Here is a link for the product. http://www.buggspray.com/natural-mosquito-repellent.html. It is amazing, all natural and deet-free. I purchase mine at Rural King)
Sunscreen and clothing is optional. Just kidding but man by looking at the parade attendees one might think that having one's arms, chest and belly covered is not required and even frowned upon.
There will be princesses, bands, every politician in office and running for a position, clowns, every school, group and well just about anybody who wants to walk allowed in the parade. I laughed as my sister-in-law waved to several of the participants because she knew them. It was like old home week. Her brother-in-law is Mayor Yochum.
Bring lots of snacks to entertain the kids and your camera to entertain yourself. People bring in coolers like they are hunkering down for the day.

What a fun day it was celebrating Vincennes and just a highlight of what this small town has to offer. Oh by the way, if you don't know who Red Skelton is, here is a link http://www.redskeltonmuseum.org/. I had never heard of him and openly admitted it. He is a hero and icon in these parts so when you come to visit, read up on him so you don't look like a complete goof like me.