Majorettes and Baton Twirlers March in a Fourth of July Parade, 1982. Check out the kids sitting on top of the U-Haul truck in the upper middle of the frame. I’m pretty sure I’ve done something similar at least once.
Portrait of an American Town
Upper Arlington, Ohio, often referred to by its initials, U.A., is part of the Columbus, Ohio metropolitan region. U.A.’s population is around 36,000. In 1982, the town’s annual Fourth of July parade theme was Portrait of an American town.
America has changed so much since 1982. Sometimes, I find her unrecognizable. I was at the supermarket yesterday and was absolutely stunned by the number of people moving through the aisles who were completely wrecked by one thing or another. I saw two middle-aged women in wheelchairs on oxygen. Practically everyone had a tattoo. People have a lot to say but nobody, especially corporate America, is listening to them. Maybe that’s why people get ink. They want people to hear them.
Heaven
My cashier’s name was Heaven and she’d painted bright coral stripes of rouge on her perfectly beautiful face. She had a giant tattoo of a blue rose on her neck. She was so lovely, really, and all I could think of was how she deserves so much better than this. Whatever this is.
Sometimes, I, think of getting a tattoo of a cross on each wrist. Like a frequent reminder of all that pierced me and all that I have overcome. A reminder that the walking dead are not my imagination. I want to look away. I want to order my groceries online so I can avoid seeing the sad and seedy. It breaks my heart, the real portrait of rural American towns where many people will die too soon.
The theme of this parade float is “The Circus Comes to Town.”
The sign atop the wagon reads, “Upper Arlington Civic Association, Portrait of an American Town.”
Miss Arlington and other pageant beauty queens ride a float sponsored by the Northwest Kiwanis, 1982
That’s a lot of trombones.
I have no idea what’s going on with this parade float. Is that an out house?
This parade float features a rainbow and people in boxes. They look like they are situated in boxes intended to look like 35mm slides. I’m not sure. The float, like any others in this parade, features the title theme, Portrait of an American Town.
The girl in the black leotard and dancer shoes reminds me so much of girls I went to church with in Bartlesville, Oklahoma, who were in show choir. They wore similar outfits when they performed. Love the nylons. LOL.
This a bakery float! I can’t figure out what the bottle is coming out of the box of self-rising flour. Either way, this is an impressive float. All the kids look so cute in their bakery hats. Also, the water tower provides an interesting sense of place in all these pictures.
This minuteman needed a better wig. LOL. I love parades!
The few, the proud, the Marines, 1982 | Portrait of an American Town
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