There were formations of military marching in crisp uniforms even in the heat, the military bands, the folks dressed in Revolutionary War era costumes with their guns, the two floats commemorating September 11th, and the military heroes float from Raytheon. Then, tagging along near the end was the East Bay Citizens for Peace/AFSC peace float. The globe that was to go in the middle of it had collapsed (apt symbolism), but the signs on the sides and the songs sung by those on the float got the message across (Peace is Patriotic and War is not the path to Peace). We sang Down by the Riverside, This Land is Your Land (all the verses, including the one about the lines outside the relief office), Last Night I Had the Strangest Dream, and Give Peace A Chance.
As we rolled into view and gazes shifted our direction there would be a blank look for a moment as our message was taken in, then often a smile, sometimes a look of pleased disbelief followed by a loud "All right!" with a thumbs up or clapping. I saw more than one child turn to ask an adult what it meant, which made me sad, but at least the question got asked. Unfortunately more than one child turned his toy gun on us - and there was an abundance of toy guns (and not the pop guns of my childhood but fake automatic weapons!). Sometimes a whole section would erupt into cheers. Veterans solemnly shook their heads and nodded approvingly. Lots of folks sang along. Some laughed at us, shaking their heads that would could be so naive, but I didn't hear a single loud boo, which surprised me. Many openly welcomed the change of message.
It was HOT. The float was a lot of work (thank you, Kevin, for pulling it all together!). And it was just what the parade needed.
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