The Fourth of July in Hensenville (America celebrates freedom)
Posted: Fri Jun 25, 2021 12:12 pm
The parade is three blocks long put on by the town board.
Bicycles are crepe-papered with red, white and blue
wound through wheel spokes streaming from handle bars.
Riders show off moves they practiced all June.
Dogs wag the route in homemade costumes, hats askew
not certain their duty but happy to be included.
Miss Liberty and Uncle Sam stop to exchange
too intimate dog greetings amid laughter, whoops
and shouts of encouragement from the rowdy crowd.
High schoolers are bused to a nearby town
now that the youth population has shrunk even further.
That's where the real band is today. Some parents
made the choice which to attend; others will try to divide their time;
some families split between events as best they can.
The grade school band struggles to stay in formation:
two horns and a flute, one drum, tambourines.
An eight year old majorette leads the way
high stepping in white rubber boots, a red and blue
swimsuit with added tutu. She rarely catches the toss
but onlookers applaud and cheer her on anyway.
Some grab the rollaway baton to hand back to her.
A local hardware store distributes 4x6 inch American flags stapled
to sticks for the crowd to wave. They all do their part, exchanging looks
they say: what a a great day, perfect weather for this celebration,
how lucky we are to live in a nation where we are free.
******************************************************************************************
The parade is three blocks long put on by the town board.
Bicycles are crepe-papered red, white and blue
wound through wheel spokes streaming from handle bars.
Riders execute maneuvers they practiced all June.
Dogs wag the route in homemade costumes, hats askew
not certain their duty but happy to be there.
Miss Liberty and Uncle Sam stop for traditional (and intimate)
dog greetings amid laughter and whoops
and shouts of encouragement from the rowdy crowd.
High schoolers are bused to a different district now
that the youth population has shrunk even further.
That's where the real band is today. Some parents
made the choice, others will try to divide their time.
Some families will split up between parents and grandparents.
The grade school band struggles to keep in formation:
three horns, a bass drum, two snares, flutes, one triangle.
The eight year old majorette leads the way
high stepping in white rubber boots, a red and blue
swimsuit with an added on tutu. She rarely catches the toss
but onlookers applaud and cheer her on anyway.
Some even grab the rollaway baton to give back to her.
A local hardware store distributes 4x6 American flags on hand held
sticks for the crowd to wave. They all do their part, exchanging looks
they say: what a a great day, perfect weather for this celebration,
how lucky we are to live in a nation where we are free.
Bicycles are crepe-papered with red, white and blue
wound through wheel spokes streaming from handle bars.
Riders show off moves they practiced all June.
Dogs wag the route in homemade costumes, hats askew
not certain their duty but happy to be included.
Miss Liberty and Uncle Sam stop to exchange
too intimate dog greetings amid laughter, whoops
and shouts of encouragement from the rowdy crowd.
High schoolers are bused to a nearby town
now that the youth population has shrunk even further.
That's where the real band is today. Some parents
made the choice which to attend; others will try to divide their time;
some families split between events as best they can.
The grade school band struggles to stay in formation:
two horns and a flute, one drum, tambourines.
An eight year old majorette leads the way
high stepping in white rubber boots, a red and blue
swimsuit with added tutu. She rarely catches the toss
but onlookers applaud and cheer her on anyway.
Some grab the rollaway baton to hand back to her.
A local hardware store distributes 4x6 inch American flags stapled
to sticks for the crowd to wave. They all do their part, exchanging looks
they say: what a a great day, perfect weather for this celebration,
how lucky we are to live in a nation where we are free.
******************************************************************************************
The parade is three blocks long put on by the town board.
Bicycles are crepe-papered red, white and blue
wound through wheel spokes streaming from handle bars.
Riders execute maneuvers they practiced all June.
Dogs wag the route in homemade costumes, hats askew
not certain their duty but happy to be there.
Miss Liberty and Uncle Sam stop for traditional (and intimate)
dog greetings amid laughter and whoops
and shouts of encouragement from the rowdy crowd.
High schoolers are bused to a different district now
that the youth population has shrunk even further.
That's where the real band is today. Some parents
made the choice, others will try to divide their time.
Some families will split up between parents and grandparents.
The grade school band struggles to keep in formation:
three horns, a bass drum, two snares, flutes, one triangle.
The eight year old majorette leads the way
high stepping in white rubber boots, a red and blue
swimsuit with an added on tutu. She rarely catches the toss
but onlookers applaud and cheer her on anyway.
Some even grab the rollaway baton to give back to her.
A local hardware store distributes 4x6 American flags on hand held
sticks for the crowd to wave. They all do their part, exchanging looks
they say: what a a great day, perfect weather for this celebration,
how lucky we are to live in a nation where we are free.