Happy 3rd of July

It wasn’t looking very good at 4:00 when it was pouring buckets of rain, but soon after, the clouds broke and gave way to mostly sunny skies, and the July 3rd Montpelier Independence Day Parade went off as scheduled. Each year, our shop signs up as participants and we invite kids to decorate and ride their bikes with us, promoting bicycle riding and of course, our shop. As always, we had a hearty bunch, but unlike prior years, no one got hurt or abandoned by their parents.

As I have done for the past four years, I dusted off the old Penny Farthing and took it for its yearly spin around the parade route. The rest of the gang dusted off other assorted clunkers, aired the tires, and gave them their annual cruise through town. My lovely fiancée rode the J.C Higgins with the Schwinn 3-Speed stick shifter. Pablo rode the ORS banner carrying trike. Flip pedaled the recumbent. And Jase, as usual, showed up wearing rollerblades and a beard along with a backpack containing a tow rope, a Nalgene bottle full of PBR, and probably some organic composting worms or something. Unlike prior years, he didn’t cause any crashes, but he did look as silly as ever.

I get a kick out of riding the high wheeler in the parade, and I’m serious when I say that my CamelBak full of gin and tonic has absolutely nothing to do with it. It’s the height of summer, the streets are lined with people cheering and clapping, and it’s the only time of year when you can legally ride in large circles at the intersection of State and Main. The Penny Farthing stands tall and stands out, and each year I hear the same things: “That’s a big bike! How do you get on that thing? Pop a wheelie! You’re the coolest!” And each year I say the same things: “Yes it is a big bike! I fall onto it! You pop a wheelie! I know I’m the coolest! Jase, get the hell away from me with that tow rope!”

The last stretch of the parade is the best. The crowd is the most dense, the energy level is the highest, and the smoke rising from the multiple vendors selling delicious parade food such as hot dogs, falafels, maple kettle corn, fried dough boys, and samosas sits like a low lying fog bank, enhancing the festive ambiance and enticing the senses. By the time we get to the end, I’m always starving and torn between which of the delicious food items I want to immediately devour, but before I head to the vendor section, I first make my yearly stroll to the river bank. After drinking an entire CamelBak full of Gin and Tonic, first things must come first.