A triumphant Amherst Anniversary Parade

Glad they did not try to put 250 candles on her
Legion and VFW Color Guard leads off
Parade Co-Grand Marshals Barry Roberts, Stephen Puffer, Stan Ziomek
Amherst Animal Control officer Carol Hepburn
Congressman John Olver (serving almost all 250 years now)
There's still time to hit the Big-E
A dancing bear (gotta wonder if it was Cinda Jones)
Old fashioned Undertaker
Dickinson Museum has back to back PR success
Blogging Guru Tommy Devine and friends from the Amherst Survival Center
Gotta have clowns

The Amherst 250th Parade Committee must have channelled Moses as the steady rains parted and gloomy grey skies cleared just long enough for almost the entire 1.5 hour Parade to amble thru town center with all the pomp and circumstance of a Big City parade but that unmistakable feel of a good old fashioned Rockwell small town affair.
Umass Marching Band with Superstar conductor George Parks
Caballos de Paso the dancing horses of Puerto Rico
Those funny men and their flying little machines

Parade Prep

So in addition to the town hanging red-white-and-blue bunting along the waistline of venerable Town Hall, the state put up these large electronic message signs on the main arteries leading into Amherst Center.

And my wife tells me that we also heard from Town Manger Larry Shaffer this afternoon via the “emergency” call system promoting the Parade.

Sunday, September 27 @ 1:00 PM (no protesters allowed.)

I'll drink (responsibly) to that!

"Jack", one of ten Clydesdale's (Bud has a total stable of 250), gets groomed.

So after this past weekend's pernicious public safety problem with alcohol and college kids who do not know how to consume it responsibly where Amherst Fire Department actually took the extraordinary measure of issuing a public statement saying they were overwhelmed by ambulance calls, it's unfortunate that those regrettable incidents may reflect badly on these majestic creatures.

The Clydesdales are in town (actually they are stabled in Hadley) for Amherst's 250th Parade on Sunday and this Thursday night will dominate the downtown as they deliver a case of beer to a dozen downtown bars/package stores. And yes, the company is paying for Amherst Police to escort the wagon and do traffic control.

I will be there with both daughters.

Support vehicles

Jada and "Barley" another Budweiser icon.

Commemorative vs. Celebratory

So some critics would be tempted to say that Amherst--the town named after a supposed mass murderer who spearheaded biological warfare against Native Americans--can fly their 29 American commemorative flags for a 250th Anniversary Parade, but not to commemorate the almost 3,000 Americans slaughtered on the morning of 9/11.

And if the flags were simply celebratory flags that only flew on holidays like July 4, Labor Day, and Bunker Hill Day, that would be one thing. But they are, after all, called Commemorative Flags--and they do fly on Memorial Day and Veterans Day, both somber reminders of the cost of our freedoms so very many take for granted.

A Mexican standoff

Helen Thelen , Stephanie O'Keeffe, Alisa Brewer, Kevin Joy. Friday

So the trials and tribulations of the July 4’th Parade in the People’s Republic of Amherst is starting to resemble an old Buck Rogers movie serial with every week a new cliffhanger ending to the ongoing sad saga.

At last week's Select Board meeting (out of nowhere) former Lordship Gerry Weiss issued a public “plea” for the private Parade Committee to relent “just this year” and allow “free speech” in the Parade line of march so that the town could allow Police and Fire vehicles so that retiring police chief Charlie Scherpa and Fire Chief Keith Hoyle could lead the parade as Grand Marshals.

I asked the previous week: why can’t the town—just this year--allow the Parade Committee their First Amendment right (upheld by a 9-0 Supreme Court decision) to decide "what not to say" and allow town equipment so that two retiring chiefs with over 75 years of service could be publicly thanked by the people--especially children--in the community?

On Friday Princess Stephanie and Alisa Brewer (one shy of a Select board quorum) came to the VFW to press the issue with the July 4’th Parade Committee. No shots fired, but no treaty signed.

Interestingly last Monday Alisa Brewer said the town’s 250’th Parade Committee had created a superb float that would be in the Hadley 350’th Parade this coming Saturday and the Amherst July 4’th Parade.

Hmmm…even if the float is built with all volunteer labor and donated materials it is still town property. But town officials are allowing this vehicle in the July 4’th Parade even though enforcing a ban on police and fire vehicles unless the Committee surrenders their principals?

Oh, I forgot: the town’s 250’ th Parade is being held to a totally different set of standards than is the private July 4’th Parade.