Memorial Day in my new hometown is arguably the best day of the year. Especially if you are under the age of ten.
The day starts early with a pancake breakfast at the local firehouse. A good portion of the town comes out to support and there's a timeless quality to his event which probably has a lot to do with the natural charm of the town. You could imagine yourself doing the exact same thing 50 years ago.
Right after the breakfast is a parade, and as one of our friends put it "there's nothing better than a good old fashioned hometown parade." I never understood that before (probably because I can't recollect ever going to a local parade, short of Macy's on Thanksgiving) but boy is it true. Tons of floats, "unique" community organizations that you could only find in Northern California, candy for the kids; it's just a blast. Our great friends Dave and Joni are in town visiting from Chicago, which made the day even more enjoyable.
Right after the parade we headed over to the local community center, which had a whole slew of fun, kid-focused activities.
They also had a small soundstage, and rotated a number of local bands thoughtout the day.
So, picture this: we're sitting on blankets with all our friends, enjoying the 70 degree weather, eating good food (including some KILLER bbq), and just having a kick ass day, when the MC announces that we today will feature a special performance from local resident and musical legend, Bobby Weir, the former lead singer for the Grateful Dead. I'm an ex-Deadhead and big fan of Bobby (who I've spotted out and about in town several times) but this was just the best; he played four or five songs for the crown of about 500 or so and it was just rocking. A lot of the locals out here are ex-Deadhead types, and it was very amusing to watch them all enjoy a surprise mini Dead show, replete with kids in tow. Diamond Bill: I was trying my hardest to telepathically transport you to NorCal: I can't think of anyone who would have enjoyed it more.
Anyway; just a fantastic, great day that simply could not have been more fun. And the fact that I got to sit literally five feet from Bobby made it kind of epic.
Attached are a few pictures for your viewing pleasure.
On a less fun note, tomorrow am is hip and whole body PET and CT scans. Please be sure to send good vibes westward.
1 comment:
wow - what did he sing? sending the strongest possible positive vibes your ay today.
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