And the Leavenworth float was nice (note the lederhosen):
As was the float from Sequim:
Finally, after an hour and a half (most of which was spent waiting for stuff to happen), the dragon showed up:
And then I left.
Showing posts with label Torchlight Parade. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Torchlight Parade. Show all posts
Sunday, July 29, 2012
The Torchlight Parade
Argh. You know, every year I look forward to this. And nearly every year, it's spectacular and wonderful. Not this year. Due to some major pacing problems, it really sucked. I mean, the first guys (the SPD motorcycle drill team) came through and everything stopped - for nearly 20 minutes. Then everybody lurched forward and stopped again - for 15 minutes. It got so dull that I went to the Rite Aid and bought some wine without missing a single thing. Even when it got underway, there were still some weird stoppages. I was holding out for the dragon.
OK, there were some good balloons:
And the Leavenworth float was nice (note the lederhosen):
As was the float from Sequim:
Finally, after an hour and a half (most of which was spent waiting for stuff to happen), the dragon showed up:
And then I left.
And the Leavenworth float was nice (note the lederhosen):
As was the float from Sequim:
Finally, after an hour and a half (most of which was spent waiting for stuff to happen), the dragon showed up:
And then I left.
Sunday, July 31, 2011
Torchlight Parade!
Well, the parade is back. And not a moment too soon. I mean, the weather has been so crappy that it barely seems like summer. If not for the parade, nobody would be able to tell. For once in many years, I was there before the festivities started. I usually just wait for parade-noise and wander over. Just like at the Edmonds Fourth of July Parade, this one began with cops on motorcycles. But in Edmonds, there were only three. Here in Seattle, there were more:
Soon there were guys with flags:
And an Alaska Airlines float with accompanying flight attendant drill team:
I have to say, their routine was pretty hilarious.
The grand marshal was Drew Carey. I don't know how he landed the job, as he's famously from Cleveland and whatnot. All I can tell you is that he's no Bob Barker. Pardon the bad photo:
There were also strangely dressed horse-folk:
My sister used to ride and show Arabian horses back in the day, and there was a part of just about every show known as "native costume." Looking back, it seems an exercise in silliness; American teenagers dressing up like belly dancers and riding horses. These people bear no resemblance to that practice, so I'm stumped. But gee, they sure looked strange. The horses didn't seem to mind.
Here's a nice shot of Dow Constantine:
I think he's from here and not Cleveland.
Behold! The bus of the future:
I'd pay $2.25 to ride that!
You know, I didn't take pictures of the various princess floats (they have princesses for every kind of produce under the sun) from communities all over the state and beyond. It didn't seem that important. Sure riding on a float and waving seems like a lot of fun, but it really doesn't resonate with me. I also don't get drill teams. I fail to see their point. Most of them last night were out of step with each other. It just seems to be an activity that makes no difference to anyone except those who participate in it. Of course, if the North Queens save us from a killer robot attack, I'll revise my opinion.
OK, so there was also the fire department bagpipe band:
I turned the sound on for this one, because there's nothing sweeter than the shriek of bagpipes recorded by a cell phone.
There weren't many balloons present last night, but I always like to film them ducking under the traffic lights. Here's Holland America Lines' orca:
And this is from American Family Insurance:
There was also a Blue Angels balloon, but surprisingly, it didn't float. What a gyp! A non-floaty balloon. Your tax dollars at work!
There were more horse-people. These are from the Sheriff's Dept:
Then a plane flew very low over head. I don't think it was part of the parade. The pilot was probably just trying to get a gander of things:
Then came proud Mexicans:
They had a horse contingent and although I didn't get any shots of it (though I really tried), they had this fascinating way of stepping. The horses, I mean. I have no idea what they call it, but it's very slow and ponderous. It was a real crowd favorite.
There was also Chief Diaz:
Apologies once again for the bad photo. I tell you, that guy moves faster than a squirrel, so my camera had troubles. I wrote a song about him. More on that in the next few days.
And it's not a Seafair parade without Seafair clowns. Here they are:
They weren't scary. But they also weren't particularly funny.
Every year, I always hang out until the dragon shows up. By that time, I'm usually all paraded out. It starts with the girls' drill team. OK, so I featured a drill team:
And then the dragon shows up:
They ran around and passed by and that was the parade for me. The end.
Sure, I'm missed the pirates (I heard them just fine) and the hydros, but I saw the dragon. I say again, the end.
Oh, and this year there were still no actual, genuine torches. There used to be.
Soon there were guys with flags:
And an Alaska Airlines float with accompanying flight attendant drill team:
I have to say, their routine was pretty hilarious.
The grand marshal was Drew Carey. I don't know how he landed the job, as he's famously from Cleveland and whatnot. All I can tell you is that he's no Bob Barker. Pardon the bad photo:
There were also strangely dressed horse-folk:
My sister used to ride and show Arabian horses back in the day, and there was a part of just about every show known as "native costume." Looking back, it seems an exercise in silliness; American teenagers dressing up like belly dancers and riding horses. These people bear no resemblance to that practice, so I'm stumped. But gee, they sure looked strange. The horses didn't seem to mind.
Here's a nice shot of Dow Constantine:
I think he's from here and not Cleveland.
Behold! The bus of the future:
I'd pay $2.25 to ride that!
You know, I didn't take pictures of the various princess floats (they have princesses for every kind of produce under the sun) from communities all over the state and beyond. It didn't seem that important. Sure riding on a float and waving seems like a lot of fun, but it really doesn't resonate with me. I also don't get drill teams. I fail to see their point. Most of them last night were out of step with each other. It just seems to be an activity that makes no difference to anyone except those who participate in it. Of course, if the North Queens save us from a killer robot attack, I'll revise my opinion.
OK, so there was also the fire department bagpipe band:
I turned the sound on for this one, because there's nothing sweeter than the shriek of bagpipes recorded by a cell phone.
There weren't many balloons present last night, but I always like to film them ducking under the traffic lights. Here's Holland America Lines' orca:
And this is from American Family Insurance:
There was also a Blue Angels balloon, but surprisingly, it didn't float. What a gyp! A non-floaty balloon. Your tax dollars at work!
There were more horse-people. These are from the Sheriff's Dept:
Then a plane flew very low over head. I don't think it was part of the parade. The pilot was probably just trying to get a gander of things:
Then came proud Mexicans:
They had a horse contingent and although I didn't get any shots of it (though I really tried), they had this fascinating way of stepping. The horses, I mean. I have no idea what they call it, but it's very slow and ponderous. It was a real crowd favorite.
There was also Chief Diaz:
Apologies once again for the bad photo. I tell you, that guy moves faster than a squirrel, so my camera had troubles. I wrote a song about him. More on that in the next few days.
And it's not a Seafair parade without Seafair clowns. Here they are:
They weren't scary. But they also weren't particularly funny.
Every year, I always hang out until the dragon shows up. By that time, I'm usually all paraded out. It starts with the girls' drill team. OK, so I featured a drill team:
And then the dragon shows up:
They ran around and passed by and that was the parade for me. The end.
Sure, I'm missed the pirates (I heard them just fine) and the hydros, but I saw the dragon. I say again, the end.
Oh, and this year there were still no actual, genuine torches. There used to be.
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Torchlight Parade 2010!
OK, it was totally cold. I was freezin' my ass off, sweet people. This is July! That's not supposed to happen! Anyhow, the parade occurred. And I was there. I stood by for more than an hour. There were lots of armed forces bands. There was the Army...
...and their many flags...
...the Navy...
...the Marines...
...and, uh, the Coast Guard. Well, they didn't have enough talent to assemble a band, but they managed to get people together who could carry a very large flag.
Well, good for them! Conspicuously absent: the Merchant Marine. There were also balloons:
In case you're confused, that's a killer whale, a pirate and same pirate, different position. Last year, there were more balloons. But there were fewer Seahawks cheerleaders. This year, there were too many:
In addition, there were Koreans...
...bagpiping firemen...
...young ladies from Sunnyside...
...Mike McGinn, who, incidentally, want bars to stay open till 4am...
...(following the death of my camera's battery) the Budweiser horses...
...and the wonderful Chinese contingent:
Of course, it's impossible to have a Torchlight Parade without the dragon. Here it is:
If you can possibly stand it, here's more:
Yeah, beautiful, isn't it? After the dragon was gone, the parade was over for me. I didn't even see the hydros. Besides, it was totally cold. And there weren't nearly enough balloons. The end.
...and their many flags...
...the Navy...
...the Marines...
...and, uh, the Coast Guard. Well, they didn't have enough talent to assemble a band, but they managed to get people together who could carry a very large flag.
Well, good for them! Conspicuously absent: the Merchant Marine. There were also balloons:
In case you're confused, that's a killer whale, a pirate and same pirate, different position. Last year, there were more balloons. But there were fewer Seahawks cheerleaders. This year, there were too many:
In addition, there were Koreans...
...bagpiping firemen...
...young ladies from Sunnyside...
...Mike McGinn, who, incidentally, want bars to stay open till 4am...
...(following the death of my camera's battery) the Budweiser horses...
...and the wonderful Chinese contingent:
Of course, it's impossible to have a Torchlight Parade without the dragon. Here it is:
If you can possibly stand it, here's more:
Yeah, beautiful, isn't it? After the dragon was gone, the parade was over for me. I didn't even see the hydros. Besides, it was totally cold. And there weren't nearly enough balloons. The end.
Sunday, July 26, 2009
Torchlight Redux
I missed the first half hour of the parade. I had important stuff to do - like lose money at poker to some guys in the U District. When I got to my vantage point at 4th & Blanchard, my only concern was whether I'd missed the dragon. I asked a few people in the crowd. Some said yes; others said no, so the matter was open to interpretation. I settled in to watch and wait for the possible arrival of the wonderful dragon. It had been a really weird day weather-wise; the early part had been overcast and kind of gloomy, then the sun blazed, then it clouded up and started raining, which, combined with the heat, is something I call "instant North Carolina." Yeah, it was really quite steamy in Belltown.
The parade was very much like it's been in years past. That's fine. People know what to expect. There were drill teams:
I still haven't figured out what their purpose is. All I know is that the fattest chick in the group seems to be in charge in all cases, except for the Chinese drill team:
Everybody's tiny, so I have no idea who bosses around whom. Even with the banners, elaborate hats and additional bling, I still haven't figured out what the heck any of these drill teams is supposed to accomplish. Do they make the make the world a better place? Beats me! Do they improve their members' characters? Who knows? Why do their uniforms have so many tassels? Ask somebody else! I'm just gonna declare this a mystery and move on. I really wanted to see the dragon.
There were also balloons:
I'm not sure who the killer whale belongs to. Some corporation has to be behind it. It's not like you can just march with an inflatable killer whale for no reason. There has to be some business angle. I mean, only idiots would drag a balloon down the street if it didn't make money or enhance some corporate image. Am I right? Like with hydroplanes; they all have to be sponsored by one company or another, no matter what they do. Over the last few years, one of the more competitive boats has been sponsored by a bunch of plumbers. Speaking of hydroplanes, here are a few:
That's hydro legend Chip Hanauer on the Boeing boat (or is it a ship?). Nobody crashed more than Chip. It's kind of amazing that he's still alive.
The old-school Miss Wahoo. It doesn't appear to have any corporate sponsorship, therefore it has no chance of winning.
Here's the very yellow Chevy hydro - or more accurately, it's the 40% Chevy, 60% U.S. Treasury Department hydro. It looks fast, but I'm sure that the government will order it to slow down while bureaucrats review requisition forms for engine parts. That event is meant to distract us from their real nefarious aim: to saddle us with government-rationed healthcare while forcing us to gay marry. Still no dragon.
Here are various and sundry other parade acts:
These guys don't really care about Scandinavia; they're just really into the museum.
The Tulalip Casino float. Gosh, I thought it would be gold-plated.
Horses from Ellensburg...
Koreans from, uh, Korea...
Strawberry Festival float from wherever there's a Strawberry Festival.
The Sikhs are tired of being messed with. They've gone and invented their own martial art: Sikh fu. And they've got their own private army of fearsome teenagers:
Be on your best behavior in Sikhtown.
Yes, all of this was really fascinating, but where, oh where, was the dragon? While keeping vigilant watch for it, I saw things - terrible things...
The float from Prosser...
Adult cheerleaders... And blurry Miss Seafairs:
I was beginning to think that I really had missed the dragon. I grew sad, but the military cheered me up - sort of:
The Navy band kept playing for very short stretches and quitting.
The Coast Guard didn't even field a band, they just carried a giant American flag down the street. The Army also had no band, which was a huge disappointment. They could always be relied upon to produce a stirring rendition of "The National Emblem March" in years past. This time around, they just had the guys with the flags from all 50 states and that was it. No music; only national pride. Quel dommage...
Oh, and the Seafair clowns were there:
This is an exclusive photo of them getting liquored up at 2nd & Blanchard before the parade.
And here's their krazy klown kement mikser. How's that for komedy "K's?"
By this time, I'm pretty tired of waiting for the dragon. It's getting dark. Last year, they went through when it was full-on daylight. But wait, what's that??
Oh, that's just a dark 'n' blurry picture of the Mariner Moose on a Segway. What about that??
That's the Museum of Float flight - oops! - Museum of Flight float. News flash, guys! A sailing ship is not an airplane!
I'm just about ready to pack it in when - could it be?? I hear drums and cymbals. The crowd is going wild down the street. I see a bunch of guys in red and white. It's - Yes, the dragon has arrived!!!
This is just a small sampling of what they did. They ran so much around the 4th & Blanchard intersection that they had to switch runners three times. It was great. Another year, another awesome dragon display.
So that was the Torchlight Parade. Let's take a moment to salute the real heroes: the souvenir hawkers!
We need all that crap, all the time.
The parade was very much like it's been in years past. That's fine. People know what to expect. There were drill teams:
I still haven't figured out what their purpose is. All I know is that the fattest chick in the group seems to be in charge in all cases, except for the Chinese drill team:
Everybody's tiny, so I have no idea who bosses around whom. Even with the banners, elaborate hats and additional bling, I still haven't figured out what the heck any of these drill teams is supposed to accomplish. Do they make the make the world a better place? Beats me! Do they improve their members' characters? Who knows? Why do their uniforms have so many tassels? Ask somebody else! I'm just gonna declare this a mystery and move on. I really wanted to see the dragon.
There were also balloons:
I'm not sure who the killer whale belongs to. Some corporation has to be behind it. It's not like you can just march with an inflatable killer whale for no reason. There has to be some business angle. I mean, only idiots would drag a balloon down the street if it didn't make money or enhance some corporate image. Am I right? Like with hydroplanes; they all have to be sponsored by one company or another, no matter what they do. Over the last few years, one of the more competitive boats has been sponsored by a bunch of plumbers. Speaking of hydroplanes, here are a few:
That's hydro legend Chip Hanauer on the Boeing boat (or is it a ship?). Nobody crashed more than Chip. It's kind of amazing that he's still alive.
The old-school Miss Wahoo. It doesn't appear to have any corporate sponsorship, therefore it has no chance of winning.
Here's the very yellow Chevy hydro - or more accurately, it's the 40% Chevy, 60% U.S. Treasury Department hydro. It looks fast, but I'm sure that the government will order it to slow down while bureaucrats review requisition forms for engine parts. That event is meant to distract us from their real nefarious aim: to saddle us with government-rationed healthcare while forcing us to gay marry. Still no dragon.
Here are various and sundry other parade acts:
These guys don't really care about Scandinavia; they're just really into the museum.
The Tulalip Casino float. Gosh, I thought it would be gold-plated.
Horses from Ellensburg...
Koreans from, uh, Korea...
Strawberry Festival float from wherever there's a Strawberry Festival.
The Sikhs are tired of being messed with. They've gone and invented their own martial art: Sikh fu. And they've got their own private army of fearsome teenagers:
Be on your best behavior in Sikhtown.
Yes, all of this was really fascinating, but where, oh where, was the dragon? While keeping vigilant watch for it, I saw things - terrible things...
The float from Prosser...
Adult cheerleaders... And blurry Miss Seafairs:
I was beginning to think that I really had missed the dragon. I grew sad, but the military cheered me up - sort of:
The Navy band kept playing for very short stretches and quitting.
The Coast Guard didn't even field a band, they just carried a giant American flag down the street. The Army also had no band, which was a huge disappointment. They could always be relied upon to produce a stirring rendition of "The National Emblem March" in years past. This time around, they just had the guys with the flags from all 50 states and that was it. No music; only national pride. Quel dommage...
Oh, and the Seafair clowns were there:
This is an exclusive photo of them getting liquored up at 2nd & Blanchard before the parade.
And here's their krazy klown kement mikser. How's that for komedy "K's?"
By this time, I'm pretty tired of waiting for the dragon. It's getting dark. Last year, they went through when it was full-on daylight. But wait, what's that??
Oh, that's just a dark 'n' blurry picture of the Mariner Moose on a Segway. What about that??
That's the Museum of Float flight - oops! - Museum of Flight float. News flash, guys! A sailing ship is not an airplane!
I'm just about ready to pack it in when - could it be?? I hear drums and cymbals. The crowd is going wild down the street. I see a bunch of guys in red and white. It's - Yes, the dragon has arrived!!!
This is just a small sampling of what they did. They ran so much around the 4th & Blanchard intersection that they had to switch runners three times. It was great. Another year, another awesome dragon display.
So that was the Torchlight Parade. Let's take a moment to salute the real heroes: the souvenir hawkers!
We need all that crap, all the time.
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