Over my 35-year career in journalism, I’ve never been someone who seeks attention. My comfort zone is staying in the background, observing and reporting.
So while I was sitting in the back of a truck trying to smile and wave to people on the Philomath News entry in the first-ever Philomath Parade of Lights on Saturday night, I was a little uncomfortable. I’m supposed to be the one in the crowd, chatting with folks for a story and shooting photos.
Gallery: Philomath Parade of Lights 2023 (Dec. 16, 2023)
A collection of photos from the inaugural Philomath Parade of Lights on Saturday.
However, owning a business occasionally forces me to venture beyond the comfort zone — especially with marketing-related activities. A friend told me that it would be great for Philomath News to have visibility in the parade and he even offered up his truck and decorated it. All I had to do was round up my family and show up.
My 28-year-old son, Brandon, was in the driver’s seat. As a parent, I’ve never quite gotten over the fear of being a passenger in a vehicle with my son driving. Back when he was a teenager, my wife had to be the one to teach him. In reality, he’s a good driver (no, that’s not a “Rain Man” reference) and in fact, he’s behind the wheel for his job as a tow-truck driver. His wife, Katelyn — they married earlier this year — rode up front in the comfy cab.
Joining me in the back with the giant inflatable Santa Claus was my wife, Canda, and my sons, Jude, 6, and Jasper, 4. Canda’s used to being in parades back from her own childhood in Miles City, Montana. Her mom ran a business and participating in such activities was a part of the family experience. Her dad appeared in countless parades for years on horseback as the county sheriff.
For me, it was the second parade in which I’ve appeared. The first time occurred during the summer of 1984 in Bertrand, Nebraska. I worked at the grain elevator that summer saving money for a car as I got ready to head off to college. On this particular day, I made the purchase — $400 for a 1961 Ford Falcon.
Driving into Bertrand, I picked up three friends and we cruised around town on the day of the summer celebration. We decided that we would crash the parade — just get in line and drive through with the classic cars (I mean, this was 1984 and I had a 23-year-old car, so I perceived it as a classic). We made a quick stop at the grocery store and bought candy to throw.
I recall there being some confusion as I drove past the judge’s stand — we had not officially entered — but we were waved on through, probably given a pass as teenagers just having some fun. The only part of the parade I didn’t enjoy was being attacked by another group of friends with water balloons. I mean, the windows were open and I was in the first 4-6 hours of owning the car.
Overall, the parade experience Saturday night here in Philomath was just “a little uncomfortable” as I’ve already described. Having my family there had a calming effect, my wife enjoyed it and the boys even behaved and had fun. I later thought of it as one of those activities that’s creating memories for the kids.
As far as photos, the freelance photographer that shoots a lot of sports for me, Andy Cripe, was available, so I had coverage set up. His collection of photos are on the news site in a gallery.
The parade organizer didn’t have numbers readily available for the number of entries but in my estimation, I think you’d have to call it a success. There were a lot of very impressive floats — congrats to Shonnard’s for winning the Mayor’s Choice Award and Pacific Power for finishing as the runner-up.
It appeared as though a good number of folks lined the streets to watch. It was a little chilly outside riding in the back of a truck but the weather cooperated. I saw probably a half-dozen or so small warming fires along the route (Jasper informed me every time he’d spot a “campfire”).
Did the parade do well enough for the city to take it on again next year? We’ll see if that happens but if it does, my wife has informed me that we’ll again be participating. Sorry Canda, I’m not sure if I can make it work. I might need to be out of town covering a basketball tournament the next time around.
(Brad Fuqua is publisher/editor of the Philomath News. He can be reached at News@PhilomathNews.com).
