I haven’t been in a 4th of July parade since I was 12 years old…not doing the math…lol  When Sherry asked us volunteers if we wanted to dress up and/or drive one of the museum vehicles…our eyes lit up…for different reasons!!!  I couldn’t wait to rummage through the closet filled with costumes from back in the day and Carl was chomping at the bit just thinking of getting the 1923 Dodge Brothers touring car on the road!

“Well, what do you think?”

Hooray!!!  It’s running!  Smoke and all! Go Carl!  You did it!

Adding a little pizazz to the float

Making that baby shine!

Prepping the Willy’s for its big ride!

Our State Trooper car

Check out the awesome brake light!!!

  For the entire week prior to the parade, Carl and Joe worked on the car…checking under the hood and under the front end!  I can’t tell you how excited they were when Carl started her up and heard that engine purr…sorta…LOL   What a momentous occasion, no doubt.  That vehicle hadn’t been started in over 25 years and this year it would be in the parade…AND Carl would be driving it and I would be sitting on the top edge of the back seat waving to the crowd…oh, yeah!  What fun!

   The morning of the 4th finally arrived, everyone got dressed and the vehicles were lined up in the museum yard and headed to the checkpoint.  Kayla took Carl to get extra gas for the Dodge and Rachel and I had to re-attach the magnets on all the signs I made because the glue was old!
Finally, it was out turn (the Museum group) to join the parade.  As soon as the float began to move, the tractor conked out.  Carl jumped out of the car and helped crank it up…it was a close one, but they did it and off we all went!  First, the Big float, then the 1936 Farmall tractor driven by Dick Wilson, us in the 1923 touring car (President Harding drove this car and actually hammered in the Golden Spike on the day the Alaska RR was completed on July 15, 1923), Gabe in the 1989 State Trooper car and then Joe in the 1953 Willy’s rescue vehicle.  Each of the 3 vehicles had an awesome horn or siren which of course the men sounded regularly.  

At the very end of the parade, the ole Willy’s just stopped and the guys gave her a little boost…lol

Being in the parade, we didn’t get to see much But at the end, I caught a glimpse of these  little horses…soooo adorable!

MATI’s main float

Rachel, Julie, Sherry

Dick and the tractor

My chauffer…lol  Such a gentleman!

Pat

Gabe and Kayla

The Dodge Team

Guess who?!

   To say that I had a blast would be a major understatement!  Waving, smiling, talking to the kids…OMG…it was amazing!  Carl was loving his ride big time!  I think he got transported back to ‘the day’ for a while!  He swears he was born in the wrong era!  Everyone had so much fun!  The crowd was very participatory as well…yelling, clapping, whistling, etc.

   We were notified the following day that MATI (Museum of Transportation and Industry) won 1st Place for the best vehicle!  Go us!