Fun at the Maine Lobster Festival Parade - Rockland

AJAYA'S CRUISE
Phil & Nikki Hoskins
Sun 8 Aug 2010 17:51
As an interlude to recent events we made the effort to attend the Maine Lobster Festival parade. Americans put on great parades - lots of marching bands, colourful trailers drawn by big Mac trucks all adorned with fair young maidens and of course lots of batten-twirling leg strutting majorettes. At least this is Phil's imaginative desires kicking into full swing! So it was worth the effort of a 5 minute stroll to the top of the road to see what was on offer.
 
We could see the parade already passing as we approached at full speed walking pace. The main street was lined with children and adults enjoying the event and waiting to pick up some of the vast quantity of sweets that are thrown from the floats. A characteristic of outdoor events over here whether it's a free outdoor cinema, listening to a band in the park or watching a parade is that spectators of more senior status arrive fully loaded with those wonderful fold-up canvas chairs. They actually sit comfortably for the show whilst those of us that are unprepared for such occasions start to shuffle from foot to foot with our backs aching after half an hour on our feet.
 
There were action-packed incidents - the clever young unicyclists came unstuck as one hit a bump in the road and fell off, and rather like the Tour de France, brought half a dozen more down moments later. All needed help to re-mount as the bikes were about 5 feet high at the saddle. Then a small girl being pulled along in one of those little red plastic carts by her parents threw a tantrum just as there was a break in the procession. Shouting that she didn't want to do it anymore she could be heard screaming her protests down the road until drowned out by the arrival of the next part of the parade.
 
So no apologies for the quantity of pics posted - we had so many laughs in two hours especially having had a difficult few days onboard.
 
    
The band could be heard coming miles away!                                                                     When you have a funny costume on you make friends easily
 
    
Fantastic old cars -  what a beautiful old red 60's Corvette Sting Ray - Phil's dream car 
 
It struck us after a while that these parades are definitely adult orientated - yes, the kids get thrown the sweets and see characters in Bugs Bunny and Spongebob Sparepants outfits (or whatever he's called) but there was a definite leaning towards 'big kids toys'  - as the myriad of miniature vehicles with lawn mower engines driven by persons not in the first flush of youth testified. Then add to the parade what was a testament to popular American 'muscle cars' over the last 50 years and beyond with Mustangs, Corvettes, Thunderbirds and Lincolns and you have a great spectacle! It's just a shame we were standing right next to a main road drain which is where Phil's allocation of thrown sweets disappeared into....
 
 
    
Now there's an engine driver if ever there was one                                                        Political campaigning is never free of risk or embarrassment!
 
    
Men and their toy boats
 
    
Lobster in the pot with chef in attendance                                                                                         Walmart's sombre contribution
 
    
How did they ever shrink all those old cars?                                                                               No, not a trailer full of Tommy Cooper impersonators!
 
    
Forget health and safety - it's all about men having fun                                                                   Just how cool can a motor tricycle be
 
    
Looks like the one in the middle foreground is on his mobile!                                                                           Fido for Sheriff  - free dog biscuits for all
 
    
Union Pacific just isn't what it used to be                                                                                               Here come the unicyclists....      
 
    
It was going so well ....until .....                                                                                                 ....... disaster struck and down they came
 
    
Finally, the parade finishes as always with Rocky the  (pre-cooked) Lobster...                         .... who then went for one of his handlers!
 
Great fun!