On Monday night we attended the 65th annual Candy Cane Lane Parade in Downtown Visalia. Adam had fond memories of marching in the parade when he was in school bands, and he had been looking forward to our family attending the parade since we moved to the area.
We bundled up in layers to protect against the frosty air, with a temperature right around freezing. Charlotte wore leggings under a pair of overalls with a turtleneck, a sweater over that and a puffy down coat over it all. A fake fur hat, a leather coat with a fox fur collar, a wool sweater over two shirts and a pair of gloves kept me warm and toasty. Adam, hot blooded soul that he is, was comfortable in a long-sleeved polo shirt made out of a heavy, nubby knit.
Apparently it is tradition in Visalia to stake out your parade viewing spot earlier in the day. Folks drive downtown, leaving some chairs and maybe a blanket on the curb along the parade route, and then go about their business for the day. It's the honor system and no one steals or otherwise messes with the stuff already set out.
Charlotte and I went to Starbucks downtown around 10:30 Monday morning. There were plenty of spots already staked out, but also plenty of open spots left. Our Costco folding chairs and a bright turquoise Mexican blanket waited patiently for our return.
At 5:30 we made the return trip. Farmers' regional office where Adam works in the evenings after his shift at the temporary job in Fresno happens to be a few blocks south of Main Street, so we parked in the garage there. After loading the jogging stroller with a warm blanket, my purse, the diaper bag and a few toys for Charlotte, we headed out. It took extra effort to push and steer the stroller due to a low left rear tire.
Throngs of people already lined the street, four rows deep on either side, without any spaces left to walk through. Dirty looks and reluctant cooperation met my requests to move aside so I could push the stroller through the crowd. At last we reached our spot. Hungry, we left the stroller and headed to the nearby Subway. By the time we returned with a foot-long oven roasted chicken breast sandwich to share, Adam had found our spot.
After we finished our meal, there were still 15 minutes left until the official parade start time at 7:00 p.m. Mark and Shelly were a few blocks away with Shelly's sister's family, so I decided to get some exercise and walk down there to say hi, leaving Charlotte with Adam. As soon as I left, Charlotte began to cry. A kindly stranger gave her a glow stick to play with.
The parade started a few minutes late, and then went on and on and on. Charlotte grew restless, tired and cranky by 8:15, so we decided to walk around the parade route and back to our cars. More exercise! Away from the crowd, we felt exactly how cold it was. Adam's fingers went numb holding the folding chairs, and my nose temporarily lost sensation. Charlotte kept cozy leaning back in the stroller with the heavy blanket tucked all around her. By the time we got in our cars and headed home, the parade was still going!
I don't know if we will attend again in future years. We were both surprised by the extreme length, and Adam was particularly disappointed that there were relatively few bands, and so many tractor-trailer type floats that merely acknowledged the "Mariachi Christmas" theme but didn't show much creativity. We may have been spoiled by attending the Disneyland Christmas Parade on Friday.
Here is a slide show so you can see for yourself!
Or go to http://www.flickr.com/photos/48434295@N05/sets/72157625523279200/show/
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