We all love a parade – and this one had great weather and everyone had great fun.

There were going to be cool drinks for this lad and his family. He was one of more than 1000 people who took in the Festival Parade Saturday morning.

By Pepper Parr

BURLINGTON, ON  June 18, 2012   Near perfect weather for the  Sound of Music Festival.  Later in the month we will get the figures,  but it looked to us like another record breaking event with some top flight entertainment, no major police problems and pods on the side streets that worked very well.

The Festival parade was a highlight for many with New Street lined with residents who enjoyed the bands and children who were taken in by it all.

There was one gentleman who put his ear plugs in each time a pipe band went by – he explained that pipes were an acquired taste.

Mayor and one of Burlington's biggest benefactors Mr ccc xxx

There was one feature that few will have fully appreciated and that was the car with Mayor Rick Goldring in the front seat and a small Japanese man in the back seat wearing white gloves and waving his hand.  There was no signage on the car to indicate who he was.  The passenger, along with an interpreter was Mr. Nakazawa who was the donator of the cherry blossom trees at Spencer Smith Park and  the giver of more than $100,000 to the city.   Mr. Nakazawa  doesn’t speak a word of English but, as Mayor Goldring explained “he just loves Burlington”.

It was close to a solid wall of blue as the Korean band paraded along New Street.

Antique fire trucks - odd by today's standards but they worked very well.

Well over 1000 people clustered in smal groups along New Street and parts of Drury Lane to watch and wave as band after band and dozens of different groups went by on their floats.

The parade was a great display of the diversity that is now such a large part of Burlington.

No lack of energy from this bunch.

M.M. Robinson band - both popular and energetic.

We haven`t seen this many curls since the days of Shirley Temple

Much of the parade music was tradsitional band music - the steel band was a refreshing difference.

Stepping out would be a good description of these fine gentleman.

 

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