What an amazing time I had on Saturday! It was my first time marching in the Pride Parade, and I was there with the library. It was good to see the board members, fellow staff, and library friends all together. We had bookmarks, lollies, and little rubber ducks to hand out as we marched. We got to go right before the Birdhouse with their enormous rubber ducky. We gathered at York Street, and waited in lineup as we waited for the parade to start. The camaraderie was palpable, and it was wonderful to catch up with so many friends.
At last, we started to move! From York St. we went down N Union, down to Bridge St. I had a little too much fun handing out lollies, and yelling “Duck!!” as I threw rubber ducks to the crowd. I was out of supplies before we turned on the Bridge St. and headed over the bridge. There were so many friendly, happy people watching and cheering. There were as many amazing costumes in the crowd as there were in the parade! We crossed the bridge on the grid instead of the walkway. I don’t think the duck would have fit on the walkway, and there were cars in the parade also, so that was a fun, new experience. We crossed the bridge and went south down Main St. and saw even more friendly people! It was really fun, and it had been great soaking up the good vibes. After the parade ended, Fran and I went to check out the fair. That was yet another positive experience. There were so many booths with really good, common sense, educational information, and rainbows everywhere! I’m so glad I got to be a part of it, and I’m looking forward to next year’s parade!
See you in the stacks!
/Annie
