Wednesday, July 6, 2016

LOW parade & Pep Boys cruise 7-2-2016

A few months ago we received an email invitation to participate in the Lake of the Woods annual Fourth of July parade.  After evaluating the pros & cons of our participation we decided to give it a try.  Lou took the point and tied up all the loose ends including the weather!  We have never done a parade so it was kind of uncharted territory for us.

We all met across the street from Lake of the Woods, VA to form up all the cars, in specific order so the reviewing stand would know who was in front of them as we drove by.  At the appointed time Lou led us across Rt. 3 and into Lake of the Woods to the designated line up area…..only to be told we had to go to another line up area.  This movement was very difficult because the roads are narrow and vehicles were parked on the shoulder with people walking among the moving cars and the parked ones!  When we lined up at the second place Lou was told we needed to go back to the first area….he told them that’s not going to happen.  I could tell Lou was getting more than a little frustrated.  We did everything that was asked of us and the organizers were confused and not very helpful.  We waited way too long for our turn to be called but we all worked our way through the community toward the reviewing area.  We were supposed to be near the front of the parade so our vehicles would keep moving and not overheat….as it worked out we were near the end and almost every vehicle overheated….some near catastrophically.  Since the Princess & I were the last vehicle in our section we left the parade to be with the vehicles that pulled in at the fire house to cool down.  After a while everyone was cool enough to proceed to the designated parking area….whew!
We set up a canopy near our rides and the ladies opted for the shade of a large tree instead of the canopy…..a good choice.  The Fisher House canopy was set up in the vendor area and Lou & Duane kept busy the rest of the day representing Fisher House.
About 2PM we decided it was time to move on….we gathered up our canopies and Fisher House material and dispersed to the four corners of the compass.  I don’t think we will do another parade.
The Princess & I cruised to Fredericksburg, VA to attend the monthly cruise at the Pep Boys store on Rt. 3 managed by the Fredericksburg Classic and Muscle Car Club.  We have been unable to attend this event so far this year and even though we were worn out from the parade….we wanted to make sure we visited the cruise today. 
We enjoy this cruise because of the comfortable surroundings (grass & trees) and all the food choices within walking distance.  We also enjoy the music and the positive mood the club projects.  They run a 50/50 to generate funds for their Christmas projects for needy local families that we like to support too.  And….the cruise attracts some nice cars.  There were about 40 vehicles that visited the cruise but the most interesting one was the ’62 Chevy Pickup….it’s chopped and customized with a very 60’s flavor….a nice ride….owned by Tony, a retired US Marine! 
We stayed till about 7PM….it had been a very long hot day for us….and tomorrow would be another all day event.  We had an uneventful cruise home….then reconfigured the farm truck for the next day’s festivities.


 
 
You can check out all the images here;

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