LB Pride, The Parade

Silly me. It was my understanding that a parade’s Grand Marshall opens the show. So, I’d planned for watching Twin 1 open the parade, maybe watch a few entries after, then head for Day 2 of the Festival at the end of the parade route.

This outing was also to be a first for recently born great grandson Archie aka Young Skywalker — his first introduction to the outside world.

How did things go you ask?

Well, using granddaughter’s analogy, Archie’s first Pride started off like this …

#Ally 4th Generation

Ended like this …...

Instead of starting off the parade, there were countless parade entries, about 2 hours’ worth, before Twin 1’s car came through to where I was located. Though I’d taken the precaution of purchasing Dr. Scholl inserts to help me through more walking, I’d already logged in 5,148 steps, the equivalent of a 5K, and was fading fast, as was the baby.

We hung in until his grandma (Twin 1) finally came through.

She was motioning because the parade paused while a group up ahead was performing, so she wanted her grandbaby brought to her.

Archie got snuggles and kisses with his Grand Marshall grandma in the parade car.

After the cars began moving again and Twin 1 was out of sight, the baby and I called it a day.

Consequently, I missed quite a bit of the parade AND never made it back to the festival site — missed rodeo and line dancing day.

Long Beach Pride was a bit overwhelming, too much of a good thing for an aging me whose spirit is fresh, young, up for anything, but whose body can no longer keep up.

Whatever, but here are some of the parade highlights taken before I tapped out.

The Haters.

It’s all very civilized when these bible thumping haters show up every year. They're given their own little safe area to spew hate at parade attendees and participates while, in return, attendees and participants make fun of them, drown out their voices with honking cars and motorcycle bikes revving their engines.

As for who did start the parade, it was the famous "Dykes on Bikes" — their words not mine.

Looking at some of the spectator wear, clearly I was overdressed.

This couple had the right idea with bringing a chair. I'd thought about it, but figured lugging a chair around would have been an extra burden.

A handsome guy in a uniform trumps buns out every time.

Jennergy Jump Group

Hamburger Mary's, a long-time staple of Long Beach, was a crowd pleaser.

"Off With Their Heads"

Also, a crowd pleaser were the guys from the leather room.

I can't imagine walking the parade route on stilts.

The above is just a sampling of the entries seen before I left, and I'm sure the best was yet to come, like the half-naked horse ladies — women dressed in harnesses pulling a coach, but that's all folks as I head into my regular routine of needlepoint, working out and trying to find time to scrapbook all the many photos I took at Pride.

Hope you enjoyed the show.