So many of cowboys!

Because the city of Logan does not have a 4th of July parade, we went to the one in Lewiston, a town about 20 miles north with a population of 1,750. GH's Grammy lived in Lewiston for twenty years and so this is the parade his family goes to.

LDS Chapel along Main Street. 

There were many Future Cowboys of America in attendance, as well as their Future Rodeo Queens of America siblings. Check out the pictorial evidence. 

Note: not cowpersons, do not be fooled by the hat

cowboys

cowboys and their sisters--don't miss the hair on the two little girls!

cowboy men, including one with a lasso, you are welcome

zoned-out cowboy on a float--precious!

We accidentally angered some cowpersons at the start of the parade. Turns out that in Lewiston, to some people, parking a truck next to the curb on a parade route is meant to indicate that you have reserved not only the space the truck is on but also all the space between the truck and the parade, and maybe all the grass behind the truck, and possibly the entire universe.

The rest of us did not know this, and so filled in with our camping chairs and blankets and what have you. Then all the truck owners and their families showed up after the parade had begun and were dismayed to find that there was no room for their chairs, and then we got to pretend not to hear a bunch of passive-aggressive remarks made to each other about how, "Gosh, you'd think that when somebody sees a truck here they should rillize that this whole area is saved!"

Actually, Princii, it doesn't work this way. If you have a spot in mind, you need to create a perimeter around it. The truck was the only thing you put down, and you'll notice that none of us are touching it. So have fun watching the parade from the bed. Or hood. 

Again. Perimeter.

One thing that may be unique to Cache Valley parades are the treats. Kids come carrying plastic grocery bags because the people on the floats throw candy. It's usually cheap stuff like Tootsie Rolls and saltwater taffy, but sometimes you'll get a frozen Otter Pop lobbed at your head, and that's fun. 

Check out the Dairy Princesses distributing taffy for throwing:

All the royalty from the different towns come out on their floats, like they've been doing every time one of the towns has its summer festival. (Brigham City has Peach Days, Richmond has Black & White Days (cows, not races, because then it would just be White Days), Smithfield has Health Days, etc.) Then all the floats packed up and went south so they could redo the whole thing at noon in Hyrum, which is where my sister Jenny and her family were celebrating. 

Here are the girls from Wellsville:

The local high school marching bands and color guards were there, and a bunch of people drove through in really old vintage cars. Sometimes the "float" was really just a van with people throwing candy out the windows and a company logo on the side for carpet cleaners. There were also lots and lots of horses, mostly with Rodeo Queen/Princess riders from the different towns, which leads us to my favorite moment.

Troops of Cub Scouts came behind the horses with shovels and a wagon to scoop up the horse poo. The young cowboys pictured above started hooting and teasing the Cub Scouts as they marched by, and in response one of the scouts filled his shovel and launched its contents directly at the cowboys. It was kind of like poetry, watching this arc of horse manure sail through the air and splatter all over the boys' Wranglers and boots. The parents of the cowboys just laughed, which was awesome, so I guess the kids learned a valuable lesson that day about what happens when you tease people who possess shovels and lack impulse control. It's a good lesson for us all, I'd say.

After the parade was over they had a carnival set up in the park with craft and food booths and a band. The Dark Lord loooooved the music and kept running over to dance (read: gallop in a circle) in front of the stage.

We hung out there for a while, and then stopped in at Big J's Burgers in Richmond for lunch on our way home. The Dark Lord caught on quite quickly about what to do with the ketchup, as you see. Also? The food is good, but do not get the Big J burger. I made that mistake and ended up with a sandwich the size of a dinner plate. Just get a regular cheeseburger and you will be fine and happy and your innards will thank you by not rebelling later.

Other highlights of the day included afternoon naps and a big taco dinner with GH's extended family. My contribution to dinner was a big bowl of buttercrunch lettuce from my garden that I grew because I am now a gardener who grows. And then it rained all the next day, which was an Independence Day miracle. 

Happy Birthday, America. 

Did anybody else have any highlights they care to share?