This time, Maple Grove

The Maple Grove parade turned out to be a drizzly event, but it was a parade that should've made any local citizen's chest swell with pride. More than 100 floats. Dozens of marching bands. Businesses handing out everything from free burgers to those real, cloth shopping bags.

The thing that makes many of these parades different from any I've ever experienced is the business participation. Tow trucks drive the route showing how much they can haul. Any car with a logo will drive along and throw candy. All the grocery stores march, and any dance studio in town will have their kids marching, jumping, and dancing through the streets of all the area parades. Here, I'm with a senior jazzercise group. Most seniors I know would never jazzercise through the streets--and that's not even counting the rednecks I know.

The potato made it's entry once again.... that's another thing that surprised me. Several of the floats are the same in every parade.

This is the burger cart. Yep, it's a concession stand rolling down the street while the fella cooks the burgers and has runners to take them to people. It was hot in there!

The biggest moment for me actually came when I was attempting to interview Elvis. Instead, Crunch the Timberwolves mascot circled me with his cart and ran over and grabbed my face and laid a big kiss on me. The crowd sure liked it. Then, Crunch ran to his cart and kept driving. Meanwhile, the emcee is yelling "Shannon is speechless. She's been kissed by Crunch and she's speechless! This doesn't happen often folks...." Needless to say, I got alot of ribbing at work over that one. Unfortunately, we don't have any pictures of this.

And then, there's the Royality. Now, I've heard alot of knocking on southerners and Texans for having a pageant for just about every festival possible.... Miss Pine Tree, Miss Redbud Tree, Miss Poke Salad Queen, Miss Tamale, Miss Purple Hull Pea Festival, Miss Toad Suck etc. If there's a vegetable or berry that grows in your state, chances are somewhere there are girls competing viciously for that title and crown. So, some of that knocking is probably needed.

Here, each city chooses girls and boys that are ambassadors. They cut ribbons at new business openings, wear matching outfits, and choreograph their waves. I'm not kidding. The selection is actually a set of interviews and picnics where they meet important city dignitaries. Their primary job is to promote the city in a mountain of parades. Whichever Minnesota town has a Raspberry festival actually had their queen on this big raspberry swing.

Which proves my point: There's hokey in every state..... and just because it's normal to you doesn't mean it is to everyone else.

Maybe it's better to quote my friend Paula in a similar thought: "Everybody is someone else's wierdo."

Keeps life interesting.