Thank you Tyler Fink for a great photo

There’s an expression that you hear a lot around Ithaca, NY ~ “That’s so Ithaca.”  It can be used when something new or innovative has happened, when you see something very strange or just plain indescribable. This year, we attended the Ithaca Parade that opens the Ithaca Festival weekend and, folks, the only way to describe it is “It’s so Ithaca.”

Mayor Myrick leading the parade Photo by Simon Wheeler

Like most parades, it is lead by the town’s mayor, Svante L. Myrick who happens to be 27 years old. He is followed by a diverse crowd of stilt walkers and hula-hoopers. Of course, the Fire Department was there. They sang such a wonderful song; I just wish I could remember it. There are over a dozen schools representing the diverse educational opportunities available in Ithaca, displaying the students’ creativity through visual art or music. Then the musicians start arriving ~ the Celtic festival pipe-and-drum band, a marching fiddle band, African drummers, and contra dancers tossing each other along the parade route. There were various groups with dogs marching down the road, and two very large dragons on route followed by various martial art schools. Of course there’s the Commuters on Scooters, a riding barn with kids on horses,  then Wegmans, the local grocery store uses what we think are the same beautiful Clydesdales that the fire department used to pull their wagon ~ everyone shares here.

Volvo Ballet Thanks Tyler Fink for a great photo

Then it gets a little more unusual ~ there’s a mobile sauna with sweaty people in towels, hitting each other with birch branches. The Yoga School dressed in “Bollywood” costumes gave the crowd examples of amazing positions that one can tackle when you are devoted to the practice. The anti-frackers were there with their display drawn on a truck powered by vegetable oil. A plumbing company had a fellow dressed as a toilet. The Volvo ballet was a real treat; they were “creatively dressed” individuals in tutus dancing with Volvos dressed in tutus.  One of my favorites was the Planned Parenthood float advertising their new location, with a song set to the tune of “We Are Family.” It went something like this:

“We have IUDs, and other great bargains like these. Come and plan your family, at our new facility. We have condoms too, one for him, for her, and for you. We take insurance, yes we do, and a sliding scale if you need to”

Thank you Tyler Fink for a great photo

And the best part was that they were directly followed by a group from the local Baptist church waving rainbow flags and proclaiming that God loves everyone. Now that just warms your heart!

There were so many different groups; this is just a mere sample of what we saw. There was a group dressed in a big ‘Cat in the Hat’ hat, with a pink feather boa and oversized sunglasses. Then a Hula Hut playing Hawaiian music was followed by hula dancers in grass skirts dancing in step. A group riding assorted styles of bicycles and unicycles, the local co-op dressed as cupcakes and twirled down the parade route. Finally, a motorcycle group followed-up the rear.

Unfortunately, my camera’s battery went dead during the parade. But Tyler Fink a local photographer documents the parade every year and shares. All he asks is that he is given credit for his photos, which are awesome and so much better than anything I took. Thank you Mr. Fink for sharing your beautiful work. Now that is so Ithaca!

Thank you Tyler Fink for a great photo

Thank you Tyler Fink for a great photo