Another Year, Another Parade

If you need inspiration for writing a parade scene, look no further than Chatham NJ.

In fact, that's what I did when writing GLORY BE. Okay, honestly, the homecoming queen in a scratchy dress came from all those Friday afternoon parades before CHS Wildcat football games in Cleveland, MS.
But the rest? All from Chatham.

Here's a quick glimpse of today's parade, in pictures. 

HAPPY JULY 4TH EVERYBODY!

 I'm a huge fan of bagpipers. Love the newest addition. Check him out, the kid on your far left.

 Another new addition. A truck supporting our governor.









All the swim clubs decorate floats.

 

Statue of Liberty. Wouldn't be a parade without her!

 

 

And for all of you who've been to the parade in Chatham. Yep, the crazy firemen ended today with two little burning houses, hoses, buckets of sparking confetti. Same as always. 

It's good that some things never change, right?

Oh, and Happy Birthday, Gloriana June Hemphill.

Happy belated birthday, Gloriana June Hemphill

I'm delighted to wish my first Main Character a very happy, if overlooked with all the hoopla of the  week, birthday.
I had a parade to attend to, fireworks to watch, family to celebrate with.

I, like some of the characters in GLORY BE, kind of forgot all about Glory's birthday!




At one of the fantastic schools I visited this spring, a student asked when my birthday was. What an odd question, I thought. That's when I realized some kids assume I'm writing about myself and surely must share Glory's July 4th birthday.

A teacher at a different school remarked that she thought the way I'd made the connection between our country's freedom and the theme of Freedom Summer by giving Glory a July 4th birthday was well thought out. Maybe she even used the word Brilliant.

Thank you! Though I'm not sure I thought that out! It just happened.
But I'm glad it worked.

My birthday is also in summer, August 6. I've always loved summer. Always had swimming parties for my own birthday. So yes, some of that part of the story was Writing What You Know.


For some July related books and activities, check out Linda Anderson's blog HERE.

For previous July 4th posts, with pictures of the parade that inspired the July 4th Hanging Moss, Mississippi event,
click here.
And HERE.

I hope everybody had a great holiday week, stayed relatively cool, read tons of books.

What I'm reading now: THREE TIMES LUCKY.  It's a new OKRA PICK book. Check out the rest of them at this link: http://www.authorsroundthesouth.com/okra

I'm also about to read CANADA by Richard Ford.

What did you do for July 4th? Anybody out there with a birthday on our country's birthday? 

Read any good books lately? 

Happy reading and happy celebrating.