Severna Park Parade 2008
I've been meaning to blog about the 2008 Severna Park Parade. Club One pathetically bailed this year as a participant after a great showing in 2007. But we will be back next year.
The Severna Park parade was again fantastic. Veterans of World War II led the Severna Park's 4th of July parade this year. People stood up and cheered as there drove by. Cool stuff that makes you proud to be an American. Other good participants were St. John the Evangelist, Magothy River Association, Sunrise of Severna Park which had a huge presentation, the Kick Connection, Pedal Pushers, Our Shepherd Lutheran Church bike brigade, Olde Severna Park Improvement Association, Chartridge, Linstead, Jing Ying Institute (which had a really cool even if bit bizarre demonstration), Friends of Kinder Farm Park, St. Andrew's Swim club and the always fun to watch Mason Dixon Square Dancers actually square dancing.
On troubling note to me was the Sons of the Confederacy. Do we really need to celebrate their efforts? Wasn't this basically a war about slavery? I hate to interrupt this otherwise feel good blog that ignores social issues but this is worth speaking up about. No one really seems to mind their presence and by looking at them, they look like nice enough people. Maybe they just don't understand how some people would interpret the homage paid to that small 5 year window of tragedy in our nation's history. But the sight of small kids handing out Confederate flags just depresses me to no end.
Okay, sorry to end on a downer. I'll come back with something more upbeat later today.
When it comes to history, especially the history of this nation, it is never a good idea to pretend that certain events, social mores and attitudes, however, backwards they are now. I am sure that those kids, children of Civil War hobbiests, are well aware of the what that great struggle was all about. Probably more aware than most kids their age. The hobbiests are, for the most part, history buffs and are keenly interested in their subjects. Again, the more they and their children learn about the Confederacy and nthe War itself, the less likely they are to repeat the mistakes of that era.