Always a favorite holiday, Bryan loves a good Memorial Day parade. Last year he attended this event with his dad, who also took him this year to Doylestown for the annual celebration. According to the paper, Doylestown’s parade has been named a top-five Memorial Day destination. The agency Sixt has listed it as third in the country in the “Top U. S. Cities Honoring Memorial Day” survey. This parade has also been mentioned as one, if not the oldest, parade in the United States, having a history of over 150 years. Quite the tradition!

Settling into their comfy chairs happened upon and provided quite accidentally by a friend of Dad’s, they had the perfect vantage point from which to view this special event. The thunderstorms held off as did the rain clouds.

Bryan had two hats with him for the event. The entire parade, these hats exchanged places on his head. The U.S. Navy hat appeared whenever a military squadron or group of veterans appeared. Bryan stood with chest puffed out at attention and offered a salute to those who serve our country. Republicans and Democrats alike were afforded the same respect. (Gee, how refreshing!)

For the bands, cars, floats, and the Budweiser beer wagon, complete with the famous Clydesdales, the red Phillies hat was donned. He was thrilled to see these horses live instead of having to wait for the Super Bowl commercials in February.

Sometimes, he had the incorrect hat on his head and had to madly scramble to ‘right the wrong’! Confusion ensued when one of the bands (red hat) began to play “Anchors Aweigh” , the unofficial fight song of the Navy (cue blue hat!). The bands were always conducted vigorously as they marched by. The military either received a salute or hat wave in the air.

Bryan had forgotten his phone for the event, which rarely happens. Every time something caught his eye, he turned to his roommate, elbowed him, and commanded, “Diaz!”, indicating a “Kodak moment” for his roommate to snap a picture. Glenn kindly obliged Bryan’s demand.

Following the parade, a hearty breakfast was called for as the thunderstorms began. Bryan was safe, warm, and fully satisfied both inside and out, another Memorial Day parade in the books.