Something Special About Being There

May weather: Here’s a pattern familiar to those who have been kicking around the Inland Northwest for most of their lifetimes. The day begins with clouds and sometimes, rain. And then, at about 3 or 4 in the afternoon, the clouds scatter, the sun peeks out and warms the grass, the gardens and the streets.

That’s why the weather is usually, and we stress usually, OK for the Lilac Festival’s Armed Forces Torchlight Parade.

The parade begins tonight around 7:30 in downtown Spokane. It’s the 61st annual and every May, it evokes memories. Of childhood: remember your first parade? Of lilacs: will they bloom in time or what? Of the weather: will it shift from crabby to nice?

Parades are as old as apple pie and usually lumped into the same category. They can seem outmoded and a bit quaint for this modern, technological age. But maybe, in the aftermath of the Littleton shootings, we need parades more than ever. We need events that force people, especially young people, out of their homes and into public spaces. Events that force people out from in front of the TV and away from computers.

Parades have some bells and whistles but little complicated technology. A float still requires a group to build it. Floats need sweat and nails, paper and plastic. They require real people driving and riding them. Bands are fairly low tech, too. And the waves of those princesses are waves passed down through years of parading.

The Lilac parade, and the Fourth of July parade in downtown Coeur d’Alene, are new each year. But old, too. The form and feeling of the parade rarely changes, just the details.

Last Saturday, at the 48th annual Junior Lilac Parade, the sight of so many young people performing for the crowd seemed more poignant than ever. Again, thoughts of Colorado invaded the joy, the brightness, the music, the pounding of bands.

You looked at those young people, marching and playing musical instruments, and realized that they had practiced hours and hours and hours for the parade. They had practiced, hadn’t always liked it but the discipline and the ritual gave them purpose and focus. It forced them out of their adolescent angst and into a world of music.

And it was great to see parents and adults cheering on the sidelines. It seemed a victory of light over darkness. As our culture grows more and more reclusive, it’s important to make the effort to gather in public places, for public events. It might rain. Your favorite parade spot might be taken. But in the end, it’s worth more than anyone can know.