Memorial Day in the Grove

"Before the parade passes by."

Holidays are all about tradition, and Memorial Day is a big one in my world. Every year we don red, white, & blue for the Elm Grove parade; my friends — the Cins — and I never miss it. 
 

Elm Grove, Wisconsin, throws a parade that celebrates small town Americana. The most exciting things in it, aside from the local marching bands, are the goofy man riding a giant hamster wheel and the Dancing Grannies — who I somehow missed seeing this year. 

You'll also find: Itty-bitty majorettes, who always get rounds of applause just for lugging their batons across town; bagpipers piping; the Knights of Columbus tossing out Tootsie Rolls; and let's not forget the Distinguished Young Woman of Brookfield (yes, that's a thing) perched on red convertible. 

For me, it's not about the parade. 30 seconds of Dancing Grannies isn't enough to get me out of bed on a three-day weekend.

For me, it's the people. It's Elm Grove with its Cheers theme song vibe. It's seeing how each Cin will style red, white, & blue this year — always in her own unique way. It's sharing patriotic sprinkle donuts and plenty of beer. It's belting out "Before the Parade Passes By" and already making plans for next year — though the plan is always wonderfully the same.