The natural law is for change to never cease, and for customs to evolve or fade away. And while we’re all aware such shifts occur, it always takes some time to contemplate what has been, and what is. And on a recent post, an old photo got a few comments pointing out how parades as we knew them have diminished as a tradition. A reality that hadn’t fully dawned on me, until stopping to think about it.
Yes, parades were once far more common and embodied a different feel and spirit. Not that I’m suggesting they’re gone. But most of today’s are rather lavish, and somewhat over-the-top affairs. Quite tailored for the overstimulated public of today.
The old small-town parades, with simpler floats and flashy cars sponsored by local businesses, are pretty much a thing of the past. Then again, everything evolves. And my generation probably has something to do with it (Gen X!). Kids of my generation did enjoy parades, but they also worried about the TV shows they were missing while waiting for the floats to appear.
So let’s revisit those old parades, of which I’ve found a few photos on my browsing, with most featuring some good car content. In general, none of these came with any information on location, dates, or occasion. But I’m pretty sure some of our readers will recognize a few of these, and provide some information in the comments section.
More terrific photos Rich. Small towns were still thriving. And parades were an opportunity to show off pride in the community. They were an event. As people from the entire area would get dressed up, gather the family, and journey to main street to see the local high school band, floats, and beauty contestant winners. Played out, all across the US and Canada. A strong sense of community.
Here in Southeastern Ontario, parades remained special through the 1970s, and into the early 1980s. My parents retired in the mid ’70s, and they still would get dressed up, and attend all the maple syrup festivals, fairs, and parades, in local communities. Young teenagers would still attend these events with their parents.
Many town’s streets were filled with people, tourists, cars, and energy. It was an event for local people to go shopping, attend a play, or eat out. Glad, I was able to see the tail end of this era. My dad would get dressed up to go to the hardware store or Canadian Tire, circa 1978.
From my memory of small town parades as a kid, people went to socialize besides see the parade, and shop in town. And meet people, they don’t often see. Rural teens would meet in-town teens, they may know from school. The parade (or festival, etc.) was just a reason for locals to gather, and/or eat/shop. Some just people watched.
Since I was one of the people who commented on the parade shot earlier this week, I’m glad to see these! When I have time later today, I’ll try to ID some of the locations here.
I’ve been thinking about parades since that post – and you’re right that today’s parades are often either over-the-top affairs, or just a shadow of their former selves. It seems that the dwindling parade crowds are made up largely of kids who like fire trucks, parents with teenagers in one of the marching bands, or older folks there for nostalgia. There are certainly exceptions, though, and tbm3fan posted pictures from one of them.
Here in Northern Virginia, several cities still have annual parades, though they’re not as robust as they used to be for a variety of reasons. Alexandria has a Washington’s Birthday parade, Manassas a Christmas parade, and Fairfax City an Independence Day Parade.
A few years ago, Fairfax City government posted videos of old parades, and they’re amusing to watch. I’ve included the link to one from 1985 below. I scrolled through and saw some interesting vehicles, like the Shriners using a VW Thing, and plenty of 1970s-era GM convertibles, since they were still great parade vehicles a decade or more later.
In those 1980s parades, the local Dodge dealer was happy to supply convertibles for parade use. Here’s a political candidate (he was running for State Delegate) riding in a new Dodge in that 1985 parade.
Dodge 400! His political slogan might have been: “America is not getting pushed around anymore!”
That’s the “Dodge” convert I wanted. They quit making them the very next year..lol
The “Chrysler”, branded one could sell for more..
I believe George Costanza bought one of those used.
“just riding ’round in John Voigt’s ca-arrrr”
F.W. Woolworth department stores were omnipresent across the US and Canada, in towns of a certain size. Brockville (left) and Trenton, Ontario, both circa 1960. Not surprisingly, many towns later had trouble filling the downtown spaces, once occupied by their local Woolworth’s. Town halls visible in same pics.
And I think every city in Canada had that same Household Finance neon sign too!
Love the sign pointing the direction to Montreal, Perth, etc. Highway 2! Pre 401 days.
I spotted that sign as well Lee. Highway 2, though very scenic, was an extremely slow means to travel between Toronto and Montreal. Passed through every small town along Lake Ontario and the St.Lawrence River.
That attractive Brockville intersection with Highway 29 North to Smiths Falls, still looks the same.
https://www.google.com/maps/@44.5895369,-75.6843262,3a,75y,10.22h,92.25t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1stE56MmoBVGounsFf-tGgug!2e0!6shttps:%2F%2Fstreetviewpixels-pa.googleapis.com%2Fv1%2Fthumbnail%3Fpanoid%3DtE56MmoBVGounsFf-tGgug%26cb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile.gps%26w%3D203%26h%3D100%26yaw%3D214.83954%26pitch%3D0%26thumbfov%3D100!7i13312!8i6656?authuser=0&entry=ttu
Powell and Market, San Francisco in the 60’s.
In the mid-90’s.
Very nice!
I like the 53/54 Corvette with the wide whites!
That parade picture is from Greenville, North Carolina – identifiable due to the landmark hotel behind it.
The “homecoming queen”, on the car, is surprisingly bad. Can’t believe some art student couldn’t a done better.
My fav “Corvette” though.
Love the rocket ship. I am a member of the antique Auto Club of Americas, Space age region, so that rock a good fit for our newsletter. as a link.
I like that one too. Looks like it was the Gasparilla Parade in St. Petersburg, Florida in the early 1950s. That annual parade began in 1904, and still occurs every year.
As in a word association test the first thing that came to mind when I saw the rocket ship float was Animal House. Cue the Delta House float…
Beat me to it. But I also remember Carmine, the Oldsmobile dealer sponsor of that parade.
Excellent connection!
The parade scene from Animal House is one of the greats. I’ve used the marching band bit many times in workshops on leadership and organizational change.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0AGyBvRKPs0&ab_channel=BlupNarf
But what D-Day did to Flounder’s brother’s Lincoln is the best!
Oh my that yellow c2! Where is it now I wonder. Did it survive as a driver or is it on display in some garage somewhere?
The 60 Chevy convertible sporting wide whitewall snow tires is a look that restorers today never replicate.
Great photos reminding me of small town living.
I learned to drive a tractor to pull our radio station float in the St. Paul Rodeo parade. St. Paul, Alberta that is. Not the other St. Paul. The parade and rodeo weekend were a big deal for residents, cowboys and visitors who came. Many surrounding towns had a rodeo weekend or major baseball tournaments. Wonderful memories. Thanks for posting Rich.
Two factors are obvious: the decline in local businesses, which saw parades as a way to advertise and generate goodwill. It’s not like the Dollar General store is going to sponsor a float. The other is of course the fact that the competition for people’s eyeballs has vastly changed. Kids are going to tear themselves away from a video game for a parade.
The truth is that they were actually pretty boring. I remember as a teen going to the Towson 4th of July parade and wondering why I was there. Because I had nothing better to do; that’s why. We were bored a lot.
I grew up in a town with no parades. Unless it was a group of anti-war or Free Speech protesters. As an adult, if I lived in places that had them, I was blissfully unaware. Until I got married. My wife had grown up in a smallish New England town and she was amazed I had never seen one. She had even had a high school job where she walked behind the parade cleaning up. And apparently that parade had a LOT of horses.
Somewhere on the Isle of Wight in, I think, 1957. Taken by my father on Gevaert film the colour was difficult to balance, having a green/magenta bias.
My favorite here is the picture with Lassie.
First, Lassie was one of the star attractions at this parade – this is the “real” Lassie, too – the sign on the car says Rudd Weatherwax, who was Lassie’s trainer.
Second, I like the big crowd of people, with folks crowded onto the porch roof of the apartment building across the street. Definitely not something you’d see anymore.
This photo is from Minneapolis – the picture appears to be taken on a block that was demolished in the 1970s for the construction of I-94.
That is exactly what they do in Danville. Lawn chairs line the street from San Ramon Valley High School all the way down to the south end of town at Sycamore.
I really like Lassie in her white (Pontiac?) convertible. Yes, simpler times when people would like the streets to watch a dog ride in a car.
Actually, it appears that several of these shots have some connection to TV shows. There’s the Mars Candy float that references their sponsorship of The Howdy Doody Show (1949 to 1952, so that can help date things I suppose) and the lady in the butterscotch Buick convertible is “Angel Casey”, a Chicago area TV host for some show that also involved puppets. So I guess even then, parades were competing for eyeballs with in-home entertainment.
The Sears rocketship float is fun too. I suppose most folks in the 1950s figured that travel by commercial rocketship was just around the corner. And yet, here we sit a half-century later where we barely have rocketships (certainly nothing lined with windows and attended to by stewardesses) and we ALSO don’t have Sears. The future just isn’t what it was all cracked up to be.
My mother really loved parades, but I was always more ho-hum about them. I did get to march in a couple during my days in the high school band.
Indianapolis still has an annual parade during the weekend of the big race, but I have never gone to it. But these small town parades would be a much more fun affair to go and watch.
The picture with the Roadmaster wagon is from Wheaton, Illinois. Here’s the then-and-now shot of that location.
StreetView link:
https://maps.app.goo.gl/Vo9sP1PjLXZZAAQKA
The picture with the 1959 Corvette appears to be from Adrian, Michigan. The building in the background used to be the post office, but it’s now the City Hall Chambers:
https://maps.app.goo.gl/aoQzeYojCRdLptwJ8
So many memories .
the Pasadena Rose Parade somewhat killed parades for me, as soon as my son began going with his friends in his teens I lost interest .
-Nate
Another good parade was the Stanley Cup parade, like this one in 1971 when the Montreal Canadiens won the cup https://www.flickr.com/photos/archivesmontreal/16431909466/in/album-72157650662201622/
or slightly further back in time in 1967 when the Maple Leafs won the Stanley cup and Toronto still waiting for a Stanley cup parade since.
#5’s red Buick convertible seems to be from a LaGrange, IL (Chicagoland) dealer, so I’ll guess that’s the locale.
“Angel Casey” seems to have done well in Chicago TV/media—this writeup from August 1952, including mention of the “Playhouse” program:
These photos bring back so many memories and experiences. Thanks for the travel back in time to small town America.!
In the small town I grew up in on the South Shore of Nova Scotia, there was a fair every September (The Nova Scotia Fisheries Exhibition), with a parade to open it. Virtually every business in the town took part in the parade, as well as every grade in the local school – each with their own theme (chosen by the teacher the week before) and with costumes made at home.
For a town of 3000 it was a huge event. The local curling and hockey rinks and community centre were filled with exhibits of fishing and fish-processing equipment. The kids of course were more interested in the midway rides and risqué side shows in the centre of the exhibition grounds.
The almost 300-year-old fishing industry is now a shadow of what it once was, and the 18th and 19th century old town, now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, survives increasingly on tourism.
One of the biggest events in LA Porte county Indiana was-is the summer parade in Michigan City.
It began at Washington Park and went for about three miles down Franklin St to Ames field
In the evening there was a drum and bulge competition with schools from new York Wisconsin California Pennsylvania and many other states
1960 Blue Chevy Impala convertible:
Still got his snow tires on the rear axle.
Must me early spring!
No signs of rust…yet!
We still do well attended parades here in small town Southern Indiana. There is the football team’s Homecoming Parade and the Veterans Day Parade. Our Christmas Parade is done at night and is lit up. That has drawn large crowds. Probably the most well attended and surely the longest is when we parade 350-400 pre 2000 cars and trucks along a 3 mile or so route through the community the evening before our car club’s annual show.
Fantastic photos! I caught the very tail end of hometown parades that featured local businesses, clubs, schools, fire department, police, etc. Great memories.
Now its homeless people and wailing protestors. Sad.