March-Two-Three-Four!

Parades are a big deal here in the United States. When I was a kid, we never missed the Rose Bowl Parade on TV. Polished announcers smoothly introduced float after magical float in what seemed to be an endless line of flawless characters, storybook scenes and famous faces. Cheerful, healthy-looking, and deeply-tanned volunteers on the floats would smile and wave energetically for miles. From Canada, which would be still buried under several feet of snow, the Rose Bowl Parade looked surreal.

What was real, by contrast, was the icy late-November wind that would whip down Yonge Street in Toronto during the annual Santa Claus Parade, which was the only other parade I’d ever witnessed as a kid. Shivering uncontrollably from kerbs and sidewalks, throngs of kids and parents, wrapped in several layers of blankets, would cheer on clowns, pipe bands and a long line of floats. Santa was always last, waving from a giant sleigh and shouting “Ho ho ho” through a microphone.

We’ve lived outside Canada for several years now, so my kids attended only one Santa Parade in Toronto ages ago and they enjoyed it from a warm office window. They’ve been witness to a true master though: the daily Disney World parades which rival each other for best costumes, music and character sightings. That’s why I am surprised that they think the Canada Day parade in my husband’s tiny home town is the best parade EVER. The local gym, a karate club and a few farmers in their trucks comprise the totality of it. To be fair, there’s usually a live boa constrictor and the parade participants throw candy to the spectators, so I guess if I were young I might think it was the best parade EVER too!

There’s a new rival now. St. Louis, our new home, is far enough south and has French enough roots that it has old traditions like cotillion balls, Mardi Gras parties, and a huge Carnival celebration. At this time of year, it also has a large Mardi PAWS celebration in Soulard, one of the oldest parts of the city and home to America’s longest running open market. The highlight of this event is the annual Pet Parade, in which thousands of dogs and their owners march and an incredible number of people watch.

Until last weekend, though, I had never been IN a parade. But, last Sunday, the kids and I and a very good-natured friend took our little puppy, Poppy, in the parade. You can’t imagine the number of dogs there! It was a veritable sea of canines! There were tiny lap dogs and enormous, long-legged dogs the size of small horses. There were old dogs and young puppies. There were brown ones, white ones, spotted ones and mottled grey ones. There were dogs with long tails and dogs with droopy ears. What they all had in common, though, was that they were all wearing costumes. Some, like our dog, wore store-bought outfits but others had much more clever owners. We saw a black and white spotted Great Dane with an udder and cow ears, as well as a German Shepherd firefighter, and a beagle ballerina.

Speechless, we shuffled through Soulard, avoiding doggy poops and waving to thousands of onlookers who shouted, “BEADS! BEADS! BEADS!” holding their arms wide to catch wild throws. Participants had come well prepared with wagonloads of beads and candy to toss out. Residents had adorned balconies and windows with festive decorations and many were dressed up themselves as they sipped beer and shouted for beads.

Woof! Happy Mardi PAWS!