BY FOURTH FEST PARADE COMMITTEE
Special to The Journal Times | Posted: Thursday, July 3, 2008 12:00 am
If you've never been to the annual spectacle that is the Fourth Fest Parade in Racine, shame on you. You don't know what you're missing. Heck, even USA Today knows about us, naming us last week as one of the Top 10 events (in the country) to check out on Independence Day.
Because this is your first parade - we still can't believe it! - we present these eight pointers to help ensure you'll have a great time with family and friends.
1. Find a curbside seat
And do so early. But not too early. The days of all-night campouts are gone. The earliest you can stake your claim is 5 a.m. Friday. Park your car on a nearby side street or, better still, pile the kids on your shoulders and walk to Main Street. (Hey, this is the stuff of great memories and traditions.) Bring sunglasses, sunscreen, a blanket and/or lawn chairs, flags, and a cooler, but leave the fireworks and Silly String at home (more on that later). Oh, yeah. Wear the most outlandishly patriotic garb you've got. Where else are you going to wear that shirt and get away with it?
Main St. closes to all traffic to the north (Goold St. to the Main St. bridge) at 7 a.m., and to traffic on the south (Main St. bridge to 14th St.) at 7:30 a.m.
2. Make friends with your parade-route neighbors
Who knows? After today, you might become lifelong friends - at least on the Fourth. Stranger things have happened along this 2.6-mile parade route over 72 years! Soak in the ambience of sitting among 100,000 of your closest friends.
3. Cover your ears when the pre-parade starts
OK, don't ask what a pre-parade is or we'll have to launch into the old George Carlin routine about pre-boarding an airplane and pre-heating an oven. Suffice to say that the pre-parade features all the noisy entries: police cars, fire engines, military vehicles, classic cars, Case tractors, earth-moving equipment, politicians … (No, wait. The politicians come later.) Our law-enforcement and emergency-service friends from Sturtevant, Mount Pleasant, Caledonia and other municipalities join us during this first leg of the parade.
The pre-parade starts at 8:15 from Goold and Main streets on Racine's north side. The first units will probably hit the halfway point (Monument Square) by 8:30 and the parade's end (Golden Rondelle on 14th Street) by 8:45.
4. Settle in for the main event
The theme of this year's parade is "A Day at the Circus." As such, watch for lots of clowns, stilt-walkers, and other circus-like characters. Ooohing and ahhhing is encouraged, as is wild applause when your favorite unit passes by.
While every spectator has his or her favorite, here are a half-dozen must-sees in the 150-unit march:
- Agerholm-Gross Det. #346 Marine Corps League (unit 3)
- Racine Scouts Drum & Bugle Corps (unit 19)
- Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 767 (unit 23)
- American Legion Post 310 Bronze Float (unit 26)
- Racine Fourth Fest Calliope (unit 29) - pronounced "kal-ee-OPE," if you're a true circus (and parade) fan
- Racine Kilties Drum & Bugle Corps (unit 138)
Don't get us wrong: All the units in-between are great, too, and represent thousands of hours of precision marching, music rehearsal, float building and such. Show your gratitude in your own special way.
5. Welcome our special guests
Many units have come from around the region, some from around the country. One group (unit 8) came from our Sister City of Zapotlanejo in Mexico. Welcome their mayor, Hector Alveraz Conteras. He'll be walking with our mayor, Gary Becker.
Welcome our honorary parade marshal, too: Marcus Hanel of the Milwaukee Brewers. He's a hometown boy, graduating from Horlick High School in 1989 and playing in the farm systems of three big league teams before joining the Brewers nine years ago as their bullpen catcher.
6. Cheer for the award-winning floats and bands
Each award-winning float will be preceded by a banner announcing its win. Floats are judged on six criteria: design (arrangement of detail), expression (does it follow the theme?), proportion, artistic appeal (does it capture your interest?), color harmony and originality. Floats are judged before the parade in two divisions: industrial and nonindustrial. Drum & bugle corps and marching bands are judged during the parade and awards are presented afterward.
In almost all cases, floats have been built by employees, church members, 4-H'ers, and other amateurs who spend countless hours working for your parade-day appreciation. Let them know how much you approve of their efforts as their masterpieces drive by.
7. Be safe
This one is a no-brainer. Three things to remember: (1) no silly string or any other celebratory gook that makes a mess of antique-car paint-jobs, band uniforms, and/or the street; (2) no "poppers" or other fireworks that can spook horses 10 times your size; and (3) no needless crossing in front of parade units (like floats) that may need to brake suddenly to avoid making you a permanent part of their entry, thereby endangering those on the float and others around you who would much prefer to see a smooth-flowing, gapless, injury-free parade.
8. Have a safe trip home and rest up for the fireworks
A new entry in this year's parade is "The Green Team" from Red Apple Elementary School (the third-last unit), which will happily collect your crushed aluminum cans and turn them in for cold, hard cash. Help 'em out. Then, before leaving, gather your belongings, swap phone numbers with your newfound parade buddies, carefully make your way back home, and plan for next year's parade.