Unfortunately, this being my first parade, I didn't take any photos. It was very nice, though, we actually did two parades.
New Gloucester, Maine started bright and early (not some people's favorite time of the day). It was my first opportunity to wear a hoop skirt. I must say, hoop skirts are not as annoying as one would think. I did have to learn to maneuver it a little, but once I did that I actually like wearing it! Besides, I got to wear my pretty blue dress instead of my, rather plain, camp dress. Well, it was a fun parade (I felt a little strange about being in the parade, theater was never my best class). Then our group fired a salute after the speech at the end of the parade. Thank goodness for parasols! Thank you to Dave's mother for getting me one! I almost didn't bring it, but it was a lifesaver on the walk back to the cars! Also, Dave and Mike looked rather fetching strolling along, each holding a parasol! I really wish I had had a camera then.
Gray, Maine: Now, it was getting hot. It was about noon and the sun was rising in the sky like a flaming ball of death (wait...). As the parade wore on, I experienced the interesting sensation of feeling the heat from the road coming up under the hoop. As we were lining up, we noticed that there were people from the New Gloucester parade lining up, too. We waved. We then wound our way to a town building in the center of Gray where we stood nearest the Civil War memorial and also saluted with gunfire during this ceremony.
After the parade(s) and the ceremony we all went as a group to the stranger's grave in the Gray, Maine cemetary. Apparently, during the Civil War a young local man was killed in action. His family paid the fee to have his body returned to them for a proper burial, but when they opened the casket, it was a Confederate soldier with no name. Well, the mother of the deceased Union soldier decided to give this young man, so far from home, a decent burial in the hopes that someone would do the same for her son, also so far away from home. Eventually, the Union solder's remains were returned to his mother and she properly buried him, however some local ladies erected a headstone for the Confederate's grave intoning the belief that despite the fact that war is begun and fought for principle's, death is sure to follow.
No comments:
Post a Comment