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45 Degrees North: Parade Protocols [1]
['Donna Kallner', 'The Daily Yonder', '.Wp-Block-Co-Authors-Plus-Coauthors.Is-Layout-Flow', 'Class', 'Wp-Block-Co-Authors-Plus', 'Display Inline', '.Wp-Block-Co-Authors-Plus-Avatar', 'Where Img', 'Height Auto Max-Width', 'Vertical-Align Bottom .Wp-Block-Co-Authors-Plus-Coauthors.Is-Layout-Flow .Wp-Block-Co-Authors-Plus-Avatar']
Date: 2025-06-20
Like many kids who grew up on farms, I remember decorating hay wagons with our 4-H club and riding those floats in parades that featured marching bands, convertibles, tractors, and politicians on foot. Those long-ago Hoosier parade organizers probably delighted in staging the politicians after the horses so they had to step lively over the “road apples”.
Now I live in rural northern Wisconsin near a village where the 4th of July parade is like a homecoming block party with slow-moving vehicles, including a beer float. That’s right: Handing cold beverages to adults along the parade route is as much a tradition here as throwing candy to kids.
Small-town parade organizers don’t get nearly enough credit for the miracles they work. It helps to have the skills of a drill sergeant or a kindergarten teacher when you’re the one responsible for making sure that fire trucks are staged where they won’t be stuck in traffic if they get a call, that marching bands are far enough apart to be heard one at a time, or that no one brings a float so long that it can’t make a sharp turn without scattering people who thought that was a good place to park their lawn chairs.
It may look effortless. It’s not.
But here’s the thing about the volunteers behind the scenes of a small-town parade: They know which members of the VFW (Veterans of Foregin Wars) color guard probably shouldn’t try to walk the parade route and have graceful ways to get them to ride instead. They know that putting Little League kids near the front means they’ll be positioned at the end to get any candy other parade participants have left over as they finish the route. They know where the grand marshal’s out-of-state grandchildren can get a great view as that convertible passes by and maybe end up sitting next to folks who have stories to tell of that honored elder’s high school hijinks. They know how to make treasured memories.
We can help them by remembering a few points of parade protocol.
Be prepared to walk. You might have a bit of a hike from where you can park to where you want to watch the parade or find a place to potty. So put a little thought into portability, wear comfortable shoes and a hat, and potty before you get ready to settle in.
Respect private property. Folks who live along the route may have family and friends who join them to watch from there. They’ll be setting out chairs early while they’re in and out, putting things in the oven and fridge. So if the chairs are empty but the front door is open, maybe move a bit further down the block to another address where the folks are gone or inside waiting for the hubbub to be over.
Driveways, mailboxes, fire hydrants. Rural mail carriers generally know to work around a parade schedule. But occupants, caregivers, and others may need access to a driveway or mailbox right up to the time the parade starts. Be prepared to shift as needed. And if your rural town is lucky enough to have fire hydrants, be prepared to skedaddle your party and all your stuff if the fire department needs access.
Respect your elders. In small towns, we expect everyone to treat the old folks with extra consideration at parades. So if they’ve set up lawn chairs on the sidewalk, don’t block their view by standing in front of them. You can ask if you can sit on the curb without being in their way. If that’s okay, don’t obstruct their view by holding up a cell phone while shooting an epic-length video. Keep your language and behavior appropriate, and you might just get a standing invitation to watch the parade from there every year.
Kid concerns. The general protocol at parades is to let small children in front so they can see, and having parents stay within reach, paying attention to their offspring. Because no matter how well you try to prepare little ones for the parade environment, kids can be unpredictable. And if you put headphones on them to protect their hearing from sirens, rumbling engines, and other loud noises, they may not hear parental reminders about behavior expectations. Remember watching parades perched on a parent‘s shoulders? It’s a time-honored tradition that addresses both visibility and containment. If kids outnumber grown-ups in your party, you’ll need a zone defense strategy, particularly if the parade schedule intersects with nap time.
Candy concerns. Many parades no longer allow participants to throw candy, or advise them to toss candy to the ground (so it doesn’t hit heads and eyes) as far to the edge of the roadway as possible. It’s pretty scary to be driving a fire truck or other big vehicle and have kids darting out to get candy thrown from the parade entry ahead of you.
Pets. It’s always fun to see dressed-up dogs walking their humans in a parade. It’s not so much fun to be watching a parade next to a barking dog, or to see an unleashed animal dart into parade traffic. Unless you can keep them calm and under control, it’s probably best to leave pets at home. If you do take your pet, be sure to clean up after it. Actually, the same goes for kids and poorly trained adults. Take your trash with you when the parade is over.
When an honor guard passes or the national anthem is playing, protocol is to stop talking, stand, remove hat and place the right hand over your heart. (Photo by Donna Kallner)
Knuckleheads. For whatever reason (youthful exuberance, lifelong practice at misbehaving, alcohol or other impairments), when some people get around a crowd, they turn into knuckleheads. If it’s just annoying and might wear itself out or be redirected, striking up an inclusive conversation might be more effective than even a friendly request to tone it down.
But if it feels like a problem might escalate, at a small-town parade, you’re probably surrounded by people with insights into creative ways to de-escalate the situation. Even knuckleheads generally have someone they don’t want to disappoint. If they’re not local knuckleheads, the parade organizer probably has a plan for managing minor disturbances. If she’s not in your cell phone contacts, someone nearby will have her number.
Flag etiquette. Sometimes, even fine upstanding citizens are so distracted they don’t notice that it’s time to pipe down, stand up, and show respect for our country’s flag. So set an example by directing their attention, removing your hat, and placing your right hand over your heart (military members would salute). It isn’t necessary to do so for every small flag fluttering from a float. But observe flag etiquette whenever an honor guard passes or the national anthem is playing.
Pitch in. One of the great things about rural communities is how people pitch in to help during an event. You can be the person who brings extra bottles of water to share and a trash bag to collect and remove what should not be left behind, without being asked. You might also be the volunteer who offers to stage at a specific location to answer questions or address concerns that arise. For example, if hazardous weather conditions emerge it takes a village to convey information about where to seek shelter. Because on a holiday weekend with lots of out-of-town visitors in for the festivities, cell tower capacity can be maxed out. Talk to the parade organizer ahead of time to offer your help as a spotter or information conduit.
If you can… When your kids or grandkids are small, it’s important to make memories with them. But when you reach a point in your life where you can, offer to help in other ways. Every parade needs people to secure permits, plan for crowd control (especially at intersections and choke points), set up safety barriers and route markings, work with law enforcement on traffic management before and after the parade, help stage the lineup at the start, assist participants, and handle emergencies. Volunteers who organize parades can burn out or age out. For these traditions to continue, it’s important to have new volunteers learning the ropes. Interested in helping but want to know more? The National Association of Counties has a helpful guide about parade safety here.
The practice you get helping with something like a parade comes in handy when someone needs to coordinate some other event, like sending off a high school athletic team to tournament competition or an elderly veteran en route to a Never Forgotten Honor Flight experience.
It takes volunteers to keep beloved traditions alive in our rural communities, including parades. Too often, it’s a skeleton crew of people who get things done. But we can all help in small ways.
Donna Kallner writes from Langlade County in rural northern Wisconsin.
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