Sunday, August 3, 2008

4th of July is best in Skagway!

If anyone wants to visit me in Skagway, the 4th of July is the VERY BEST OF THE BEST!
We have a superb parade that goes down Broadway (6 blocks), and it is SOOOO good, that they turn it around, and go back UP Skagway! So good, you must see it twice!

Here are some pictures of my FAVORITE float this year, done by the old Branch President's employees (let me clarify...HE is not old, but he is the former branch president, and was released from his calling after 20+ years just last summer).

The parade theme was "Freedom on Broadway" (the main street)...so they interpreted it as:

FREEDOM FROM TOURISTS, and made the ultimate "TOURIST TRAP!!"

"Skagway's Deadlist Catch - Fresh Tourists at Harbor!"

"We'll Celebrate Freedom on Broadway on October 1st!"
If it was a video, you'd hear the "tourists" and their daily questions, "Where's the bathroom?" "Is this on sale?" "Do you have crew discounts?" Oh, and PLEASE note the INGENIOUS fishing pole on the back of the float, holding the tourist-coveted coupon book! The "tourists" are grabbing at it, trying so hard to catch it! You could not make me laugh any harder...

I also liked the National Park Service float on the 2nd round. That is, because the lovely "crate" the main gold rush hiker had been carrying became uncovered, revealing a likely 'NECESSITY' that gold rush miners TODAY might actually insist on carrying on their arduous journey. The 19" Screen TV. Of course, in reality, people nowadays might insist on carrying a much large flat screen TV:
And just to show you how NOT serious this parade is...these types of signs are fairly typical each year. You'll have to note the small text at the bottom that makes year-round local's sentiments clear:
So, in response to the tourist who was made me miss one round of the parade a few years ago (they were making a purchase in our store)...this person said "I'm from New York. I've seen it all." Heck, "We're not trying to be New York, baby! You've just missed the BEST parade in the world!"

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